You Are What You Are
by heidipoo
Summary: Clementine and Sarah are inseparable after the former is allowed to stay in the cabin. It's not long before Sarah feels something for Clem; something more than just friendship. And when she talks to her dad about it, tensions only rise. What will happen once these feelings are finally revealed?
1. 1

**A/N: Hey guys! A lot of you wanted a sequel to Butterflies, but sequels are really not my thing, so I'm going to do a rewrite instead. So yes, this is Butterflies, but under a new title and summary. Feel free to leave suggestions and that stuff of what you'd like to see, or whatever. PM me if you have any requests/questions/concerns. And if you haven't read Butterflies, go check it out! Okay, enough of my ranting, enjoy the story. Oh yeah, and tomorrow is my 18th birthday just to throw that out there, haha.**

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The night is quiet in the cabin, but that's how it usually is once it's time for the lights to go out. Exhaustion from the days events have usually set in by now, and the majority of the group is already in bed. The majority of them, with the exception of two girls. "Have you ever read this book?" Sarah asked as she held up a hard covered book in her small hands; a picture of a deep green forest illustrated on the front of it. Clementine shakes her head as she stares up at the book. "It's really good." Sarah continues to talk, her dark eyes lighting up slightly because she's talking about something she likes. "It's about two girls who go on a magical adventure." She tells Clem. "You can borrow it if you want to." Sarah blushes, and stammers slightly, realizing that she's been the one talking an awful lot here in the past few moments. She didn't want to bore Clementine. The last thing she wanted to do was put her foot in her mouth, something that her dad told her that she did a lot.

It's quiet between the two young girls in Sarah's room, the only sounds were their gentle breaths coming from them. It had been almost two weeks since Clementine arrived at this isolated cabin house thing in the woods, and Rebecca, Alvin, Pete, Luke, Carlos, and Nick, had let her stay here. Of course, since she'd been here, Pete had faced a tragic death, but other than that, things seemed to be going pretty well. Clem didn't think she'd enjoy being with a group after she'd been alone for so long, but she was wrong, she actually liked it a lot. She was adjusting to staying with a big group again, and adjusting to their rules and life. It wasn't bad, and it actually was going pretty nice. Clem was staying in Sarah's room with her, but it was nice having a friend, and feeling like you belonged somewhere again. And she was sure that Sarah enjoyed it as well, what with the teen girl not having a lot of other people close to her age around her.

"I'll read it later." Clementine nods, referring to the book with the forest on the cover. "It does sound like a good book." She adds.

"Good." Sarah smiles. A yawn suddenly escaped Clementine's mouth, and both the girls then realize that it is getting late, later than both of them are allowed to stay up. Those were Carlos' rules, and if they didn't follow the rules, they'd get in trouble. In a way, Clementine liked the rules, they made her feel normal again, like a kid, instead of a human being forced to make difficult decisions that you might regret in the morning. "Are you tired?" Sarah asked, pulling the younger girl out of her thoughts.

"A little." The younger girl answers and wipes her eyes from the sleepiness. "We should be getting to sleep. Your dad doesn't like when we stay up late." She adds and stands up. The bed is small, but the two sleep in it together. Of course, they didn't have any other options, but Clementine enjoyed sharing a bed with the older girl. They find comfort in each other; in knowing that someone else is there, and that they aren't alone. Someone is always there right beside you. Sarah nods in agreement and climbs into the bed first, getting under the blankets because it is a little chilly tonight. Clementine follows suit and does the same, scooting in beside the older girl.

"Lights out girls!" Carlos knocks on Sarah's door, signaling it was time for them to go to sleep. He doesn't come in though, and both girls are thankful for that. Neither of them enjoyed hearing Carlos' lectures about going to bed on time. Of course, when Clementine was younger Lee would have done the same thing... But the times are so much different now... So many things had gone and changed without anything to stop them. It was always inevitable though, because in this world, whatever happens, happens, and you can't do anything about it.

"Goodnight Clementine." Sarah whispers and turns out the lamp that sits beside her bed.

"Goodnight Sarah." Clem replies as she wraps her arms around the older girl and closes her eyes.

This is how their life went usually; this was a regular normal day for them. They'd wake up, go downstairs and eat whatever mush there was for breakfast, talk to some of the other members in their survivor group, and then talk or play fro the rest of the day. It was refreshing for Clementine to say the least. She couldn't even remember the last time that she got to act like a kid, or her age rather. She was so tired of wondering where in the world she was going to sleep for the night, or what she was going to have for a meal that day, and now, here with everyone, here with Sarah, she didn't have to worry about that anymore. She could just live without worries, like she was supposed to, like the kid she really was.

Of course, this new life didn't stop the previous memories from her old one from coming back. Clem still had dreams and nightmares about Lee, about Duck, about Christa, and everyone else from her old family that died. But ever since she met Sarah, ever since the older girl helped her get the stuff to fix her arm, ever since they made that little pinkie promise, Clementine felt lighter somehow. It was as if Sarah was making her feel better. And the two girls were totally inseparable. But Clem wouldn't have it any other way; she loved being around Sarah. The teen girl just had this certain aura about her, one that seemed to light up a room, one that you couldn't take your eyes away from her. She was special, that was for sure.

You'd think in the apocalypse, you wouldn't want to get closer to anybody else; after everyone you knew had died. At least, that was the way Clem used to be. After she had lost everyone, she didn't want anything else that she could lose, so she isolated herself, well, until now. Clementine didn't want to get attached to people, but she had seen so many deaths by now, she'd become immune to it, and it didn't bother her anymore. She hardly felt normal, but once you saw everything that she had been through, there was no going back. She had become hardened by this cruel world. She wasn't like Sarah; the two girls were polar opposites if you wanted to compare them in that way. Maybe that was why Clementine was drawn to the older girl so much. It was because Sarah was good, and pure, and everything sweet that was left in this world. The apocalypse hadn't changed her, and Clem loved that. She made her feel like everything was normal again, and that was a very good feeling.

There was something about them that kept them close to each other, but Clementine didn't mind. She had a feeling that Sarah didn't mind either. They needed each other in this awful time, and sometimes, just sometimes when it was quiet in the house and they were alone with each other, Sarah could make Clementine forget. Forget about everyone who had suffered their tragic deaths, forget about her undead parents, forget that this world had gone to shit and everything was falling apart. When they were together, it was almost like before. Before all this crazy stuff happened. That was the effect that Sarah could have on somebody, and it was amazing. It was one of those butterfly type feelings. The kind that make you feel nervous, but the good kind of nervous. That was the only way Clem could explain it.

* * *

**A/N: To be continued...?**


	2. 2

The next morning, the sun rose slowly in the early sky, and of course, Clementine was the only one awake. It was often like this most times when she woke. Her dreams haunted her, so she usually didn't sleep for very long. She was wrapped in a blanket, and tightly in Sarah's small but soft arms. The warmth between them was slightly comforting. The two girls were facing each other, Sarah snoring gently, her mouth wide open. Clem decided that she like waking up like this; it was a lovely feeling being in the arms of someone who care about you. She stayed still for a moment, studying the older girl as she slept. Clementine noticed how peaceful Sarah looked while she was asleep, and how her long eye lashes brushed against her cheek when she had her eyes closed. Her hair fell in front of her face just the right way; the only word that came to mind when Clementine thought of Sarah was cute. She looked different without her glasses while she was sleeping, but it was different in a good way.

Usually, Clementine did not like being this close to other people, but with Sarah, it was completely and utterly different. She felt warm, safe, secure... She felt like she had a home; like she belonged here. It was the atmosphere of Sarah's persona that drew her in almost immediately. That innocence, that sweetness about her... It was impossible to find anywhere else in this world that had completely gone to hell. It was almost like having a big sister, but not quite, the bond was different, and both of the girls knew this. Clementine knew that Sarah probably liked her way more than just a little sister, and she was okay with that. They knew that they had a stronger relationship than most people in the apocalypse.

Clementine, lost in her thoughts, then felt the early morning urge to urinate. She carefully tried to disentangle herself from the blankets and maneuver her way out of the tiny bed without waking up Sarah. She needed her sleep, because Clem knew that Sarah often suffered from bad dreams in the middle of the night. It wasn't easy, considering they were practically wrapped around each other, but Clem made it out without disturbing the older girl. She then quietly tip toed to the small bathroom in the house, careful to not wake anyone up just in case people were still sleeping. Clem had been here long enough to feel comfortable going about the house on her own. The group had warmed up to her, and enjoyed her company. Although she hadn't established a real connection with anyone but Sarah, she still felt good about this place. The sun was barely up yet, so she doubted that anyone was really awake yet.

On her trip to the bathroom though, she ran into Sarah's father, Carlos. "Good morning." Clem greeted politely as she looked up at the much taller man. If she wanted anybody in this house to like her, it would definitely be Carlos, just because of the simple fact that he was Sarah's dad, and if she made him angry enough, he could easily take Sarah away from her. And Clementine didn't think she could take that kind of emotional detachment once again. Of course, she'd get over it eventually, but once you experience loss, you're never that same after that. It feels like a hole has been punched through your chest, and you have to find something to distract yourself; to fill the void.

"Is Sarah awake yet?" Carlos asked as he tried to peek his head into his daughter's bedroom to check on her. He was such a good father, always checking up on his daughter. Clem knew that Sarah was lucky to have a dad like Carlos. Albeit, he could be a little intense at times, it was only for her own good. Clementine was glad that he hadn't let Sarah become exposed to the world of unknown. She would have changed so much... She wouldn't have kept that innocence about her that everyone seemed to adore so much.

"Sleeping soundly." Clementine replied as she looked back into the room.

"That's good." He answered nonchalantly, and this verbal exchange felt a little odd to Clem. She hadn't really ever had an actual conversation with Carlos before. This being the first one, it was a bit awkward to say the least. But she knew that Carlos was only trying to get to know her a bit better. After all, he wouldn't want a stranger hanging around his daughter. "She really likes having you around..." He trailed off, pulling Clementine out of her thoughts, and he rubbed the back of his neck a little awkwardly. In his eyes, it was both a blessing and a curse to have Clem in the house. A blessing, because Sarah had a friend now, and a curse, because Clem had been exposed to so much already, and he didn't want it to rub off on Sarah.

"I like having her around too." She said, smiling just a bit, which was true. Of course, she probably still would have stayed here if Sarah wasn't here, but the fact that Sarah was here just made staying at the cabin ten times better. Sarah was just a great person to be around, no matter what. She lifted everyone's spirits. Clementine was about to head in the bathroom to take care of her business, but Carlos grabbed her shoulder gently, and pulled her back just a bit. He still had something else to talk about with her.

"Clementine, can I ask you a favor?" He asked out of nowhere.

The smaller girl was confused, but nodded nonetheless, "Anything." She said.

"I know we have a lot of people in our group, but I can't always protect Sarah... I guess what I'm saying is, could you try to help protect her too? Maybe teach her a few things? I know you're younger than her, but you've learned a lot. Just try to help her? She'll like that. And she'd rather hear it from you than me." He asked as he stared down at Clementine, with big pleading eyes; the same eyes that Sarah had. Where was all this coming from? But Clem understood, he just wanted Sarah to be safe in the end. And Clem wanted her to be safe too. She needed to know how to protect herself when the time called for it.

"Sure." Clementine nodded.

"Thank you." Carlos replied. "Breakfast should be ready in a bit." He said and walked away.

While she was in the bathroom, Clem couldn't help but to be consumed in her thoughts again. She wondered what brought all that on with Carlos... Was it because she was spending a lot of time with Sarah? Or maybe he'd been meaning to ask her that, he just wanted to wait until they were alone. Clementine already knew that Sarah liked having her around. Since she'd been in the house she hadn't really talked to anybody but Sarah and Luke. Her first night here, she told Luke her story; and it's not like she'd gone into detail. So nobody had really understood what she had been through during this apocalypse. Of course, she wanted the people who let her stay here to be able to trust her, but did she really want them to know everything about her? Maybe it was best not to get emotionally attached. But she already did that with Sarah... Did she want to expose herself more? Maybe one day she'd just tell Sarah and only Sarah her full story.

When Clementine got done out of the bathroom, she was greeted by Sarah who was standing outside the bathroom door. "Sorry!" She exclaimed hastily. "I didn't know you were in there... I thought you left or something..." She rambled off.

"It's okay." Clem replied with a smile.

"Did you sleep good?" Sarah asked, batting those long lashes.

"Really good." Clementine nodded. By then, there were banging noises down in the kitchen, and light chatter downstairs, so the girls knew everyone was awake now.

"Let's go get breakfast!" Sarah said.

"Okay." Clementine agreed, and she felt Sarah grab and hold onto her hand tightly. Clementine hadn't ever really had someone hold her hand before, not even her parents or Lee, but she liked it, and Sarah's hands were soft. The two girls then bounded down the stairs and greeted the rest of the group to eat and go about their normal day.


	3. 3

The night was eerily quiet, and the bed was really just not that comfortable. "I can't sleep." Sarah whispers in the dark room, hoping that her friend is still lying awake beside her. "Clementine?" She asks quietly, not wanting her father to hear her because she was supposed to be long gone asleep by now. After a long day of cleaning and going over the supplies that they had left, the two girls were exhausted, but somehow still lie awake. "Are you awake?" She asks again and feels around in the dark until she is gently touching Clem's arm. It's warm, and she feels a small spark as their skin touches.

"I'm up." Clementine replies, and the two girls turn towards each other, and let their eyes adjust to the dark room so that they could see each other clearly. Their eyes met one another, even though they could barely see, they still knew that they were making eye contact. Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the room, and thunder roared off in the distance. There was going to be one hell of a storm tonight.

"Good." Sarah whispered. "I don't like thunderstorms." She admits. Her glasses are off, and Clementine could read the fear in her dark eyes. As a child, Clementine really wasn't a big fan of storms either, but now, during the end of the world, and during the zombie apocalypse, she wasn't afraid of anything anymore. She believed that she could do anything she wanted, conquer everything she wanted, and just be brave.

"Me either." She replied, for conversation's sake. She didn't want Sarah to become worried, or anything of that nature. It was then quiet between the two friends again, and Clementine didn't really know what to say anymore. The silence was comfortable, but she still wanted to say something to calm Sarah down, and take her mind off of the storm. She could hear her heartbeat, and it sounded like a freight train; that's how she knew that Sarah was nervous and afraid. "Are you tired?" Clementine asked, looking up at the older girl. It was still dark in the room, flashes of lightning lighting up the room every few seconds.

Sarah shook her head, "No." She spoke, as her hair fell in front of her face a little bit. Just then, another rumble of thunder shook the house a little bit, and Sarah's breath hitched in her throat slightly, making her small framed body tense up.

"What's your favorite color?" Clementine asks quickly, trying to distract Sarah.

"R-Red... Like my glasses." She stutters slightly. "What's yours?" She then replies, sounding a bit better this time.

"Blue." Clementine doesn't hesitate with her answer because she knows this little question thing is distracting Sarah at the moment, and that's all she wanted. She just wanted to talk to Sarah, make her a little sleepy, and then they could go to sleep. Clem was already tired, but she didn't want to go to bed without knowing that Sarah was okay. "What's your favorite animal?" She asked another question to keep the game going.

"I like cats." Sarah says nonchalantly. "Yours?"

This answer however, Clementine had to think about it. Since the apocalypse began, she kind of forgot all about her favorite things? What in the world was her favorite animal? Did she even have one? "Hm..." She contemplates. "I like... Ducks." She answers the first thing that pops into her mind. Another crack of thunder is heard, and at that moment, Clementine can't help but to think of her past; of her parents, of her old life, of Lee, of Kenny, and Katjaa, and Duck... Christa, Omid, and all the others... Why did they all have to go? Why did they leave Clementine all alone?

"Clementine?" Sarah asked again. "Are you okay?" She adds on, and wiped a tear the lay on Clementine's cheek. The smaller girl didn't even realize she was crying as she was lost in her thoughts. "You're crying..." Sarah whispered. And she was, the tears wouldn't stop falling as Clem lay there, thinking about her what seemed to be family. It was that moment, Clementine realized that she hadn't cried since Lee died... She had been holding her grief and feelings in, and now, she just couldn't hold it in anymore. She felt so vulnerable laying here and crying next to Sarah. But she trusted Sarah, and if she had to cry in front of someone, she was glad it was Sarah.

"I'm sorry." She managed to get out.

"It's okay." Sarah whispered again and pulled the much smaller girl into her chest, wrapping her in her arms for a warm embrace. Clementine accepted it gladly, burying her head in Sarah's bosom, letting her tears soak her shirt. They stayed that way for a few minutes; with Sarah stroking Clem's curly hair, shushing her so she'd stop crying. When Clementine was finally able to control herself, she pulled away from the older girl, wiping her face off.

"Thank you." Clem whispered.

"My dad used to do that for my mom when she was sad... Before she got sick and died..." Sarah trailed off, not really enjoying thinking about her past. "Are you okay now?" She asked.

Clementine nodded, "Yeah... I was just thinking about my old family." She said. "They all died, or we got separated. I haven't seen any of them in a really long time." She added. "I guess I never really got to cry about it before. I held it all in. I had to be strong." Clem realized this, and thought it was good that she finally got it out. She didn't have to carry that burden on her small shoulders anymore.

"You have us." Sarah interrupted quickly, a little hastily too. "You have me..." She said more clearly. "I won't leave you." She added, her tone of voice too serious, and in that moment, Clementine realized that Sarah really truly did care about her, and she cared about Sarah too. And albeit they had only known each other for a few weeks, their relationship was strong, and they felt like they had known each other for years.

"I won't leave you either." Clementine smiled. "We're a team. We stick together." Sarah's words had really comforted her, and made her feel so much better. But in the back of her mind, Clementine knew that those were Lee's words, and look what happened to him... Fate was not on her side during the apocalypse, but deep in her heart, she had a good feeling about Sarah.

"Goodnight Clementine." Sarah whispered, and kissed the smaller girl on the cheek.

"Goodnight Sarah." Clementine smiled, and fell asleep with those familiar butterflies in her stomach.


	4. 4

The very next morning, Sarah woke up to an empty bed. She never woke up to an empty bed. It took her a moment to even register what was going on when she woke up in the late morning hours. It seemed as though she had slept in slightly. Where was Clementine? Her friend was missing at the moment. The house seemed pretty quiet too, so where was everybody at? She got out of bed slowly, still feeling groggy for sleeping in so late, and from not getting enough sleep from the storm last night. Her heart beat a little bit faster because she was wondering and worrying about Clementine. Sarah made her way down the stairs carefully, looking around to see if she saw anyone. As she made her way into the living room of the cabin, she saw her dad sitting on the sofa, reading a magazine that he's probably read a million times before.

"Hey dad." She greeted as she approached him. His gaze moved up so that he was looking at his daughter, and he smiled at her.

"Good morning sweetie." He replied.

"Where's Clementine?" Sarah asked almost immediately.

"She's outside looking around." Carlos answered. "She woke up pretty early." A breath of relief escaped Sarah once she found out Clem was safe. In the back of her mind she thought she had left or something like that. She was glad that Clem was still here. It would bring havoc around this little log cabin if her friend had just up and left like that. Clementine just couldn't do that to everyone.

"Can I go outside too?" She asked with hopeful eyes.

Carlos sighed, "Honey, it's best if you stay inside."

"But I'm stuck inside all the time!" She whined. "You never let me do anything!"

"Don't argue with me Sarah." Her father replied sternly.

Sarah sighed. She didn't know why her father was like this. He was always so overprotective of her, and never let her go outside, never let her play, never let her do anything anymore. She was always stuck somewhere, some way or another, and she hated it. It wasn't like this a few years ago... Everything was fine until people started getting sick, as her dad called it. Since people were getting sick, Sarah was forced to be sheltered, all the time. "Where's everyone else?" She then asked, referring to Nick, Luke, Alvin, and Rebecca. The house had moved on quickly since Pete had been bitten and died.

"Fishing for dinner tonight." Carlos replied. "I was waiting for you to wake up so I could go with them." He added. She was glad they were out fishing, because if they got lucky and caught something, they'd have a fresh and hot dinner for tonight, and the anticipation of that was making her stomach growl fiercely already. Having good food always made it a good day.

It was quiet for a few more moments, and Sarah spoke again. "Hey dad... Can I talk to you before you leave?" Sarah asked as she sat down on the couch beside her father. This certain sunject had been bothering her for a while now, and it had been stuck in the back of her mind. A part of her had been scared to talk to her father about it, and it's not like she could have talked to anyone else about it... But she had to get this thing off her chest; of how she'd been feeling since Clementine arrived in the household. "It's really important..." She added.

"Sure." Carlos replied with a nod as he turned to face his daughter. Sarah looked distraught at the moment, not really sure on how she was going to put into words what she was thinking. It was a complex subject, that was for sure. "You can tell me anything." Carlos said with a slight smile; after all, he'd do anything for his daughter.

"It's about Clementine." Sarah started.

"You don't like her?" Carlos questioned.

"No! No! That's not it at all." The teen exclaimed almost hastily. "Kind of the opposite..." She mumbled as her cheeks heated up in embarrassment. This was so awkward to talk to your dad about, and of all people, why did it have to be Sarah?

"So you do like her." He confirmed.

"A lot." Sarah answered. The teen girl had a few crushes in her past, but somehow, with Clementine, it was completely and utterly different. She didn't know how to put her feelings into words for how she felt for Clem. It was on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't explain it. "Clementine... She makes me have butterflies." She stated softly, and lowered her dark eyes in embarrassment for what she had just said. But Sarah was confused, and she needed answers, and she needed these answers now, that way she knew what to do with them.

Carlos' eyes went wide at what his daughter was implying, and he knew she was fifteen, but still... This was something that he didn't want to deal with right now, especially not in the freaking zombie apocalypse. He never once thought to question Sarah's sexuality... She didn't act gay, and hell, she didn't even know what being gay meant. He had kept her sheltered and safe, and because of that, she was so naïve and unsure of things. "Butterflies?" He asked, unsure of what she was saying at the moment. She could have been confused about this stuff. And another part of Carlos wondered if Clementine was educating Sarah on these matters.

"Is that bad?" Sarah asked innocently. "I mean... She is another girl..." She pointed out.

Carlos shook his head, "No, honey it's not bad... But I think you only feel like that because you haven't been around people your age for a while." He explained, trying to give her the best meaning.

"None of the girls at school gave me butterflies... Or the boys." Sarah tried to argue. "Clementine's different! She's special... What does that mean dad?" She asked, and Carlos, well he really didn't know how to explain this too good. This was hard for him to accomplish.

"Well..." He started. "I think you should talk to Clem about it."

"But what if she thinks it's weird?" Sarah asked, her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "I don't want her to not want to be my friend anymore..." She trailed off.

"If she's really your friend, she won't think it's weird." Carlos chuckled. "Who knows, she might feel the same." He added. "Listen, Sarah, I'm not really sure I can give you the answers that you want. Maybe you should talk to Rebecca when they come back. She'd be more of a help, and I'll talk to her first, so she knows what's going on."

"Okay." Sarah nodded and gave her dad a hug. "Have fun fishing and be safe." She said once they parted ways. "And can you tell Clem to come in the house so we can play?" She asked and Carlos nodded as he stood up and headed out the door.


	5. 5

"Clementine!" Carlos yelled as he exited the cabin. She was over by some trees, picking up leaves that she thought was pretty. She hadn't been able to do that in such a long time. Since Lee and all the others had been with her. She stood up, and looked over at Carlos. "I'm going fishing now, we should be back later. Sarah asked me to tell you to come inside." He added, and Clem stood up and walked over to him. "I trust you with her, so don't open the door for anyone, and just try to keep her distracted." He explained and Clementine nodded, she knew that Carlos kept her away from the horrors of the world these days. Sarah didn't have a clue as to what was going on out there.

"Got it." She replied and headed into the house. It was empty when she walked in, and quiet too. "Sarah?" She called out. The smaller girl guessed that she was probably up in her room, so Clementine headed up the stairs quietly so she wouldn't startle the teen. "Sarah...?" She questioned again when she got to the top of the stairs. "Are you in here?" She asked as she was about to open the older girl's door.

"Say cheese!" Sarah yelled when Clem entered the room, and took her picture with one of those old cameras. The flash nearly blinded Clementine when she walked in the room. "I found this under the house a while ago..." Sarah explained. "There was all kinds of cool stuff." She added. The picture came out of the camera, revealing a startled Clementine, and Sarah handed the picture to her. "Take one of me!" The teen smiled, excited that she found something else for her and Clem to do. Her talk with her dad still lingered in the back of her mind, and she decided that she was going to talk to Rebecca before she made any hasty decisions to talk to Clem. "Please?" She begged.

"Sure!" Clementine replied as she sat her book bag of stuff on the ground; the one that had the picture of Lee and everything else in it. She grabbed the camera from Sarah and examined the buttons on it to make sure she knew what she was doing. In the back of her mind, she hoped this was what Carlos meant by distracting Sarah. But Sarah was usually pretty easy to entertain and distract. She was one of those people who were easy to impress.

"Get me in a good pose, okay?" Sarah said as she backed away from Clem and stood still. "I'm ready!" She exclaimed with a big smile as the younger girl held the camera up, ready to take the picture. There was a click, then a flash as she pressed the button. "Looks good." Sarah said in approval as she took the picture from Clementine.

"You're pretty..." Clem said nonchalantly as she looked down at the picture as well. Sarah's cheeks then turned about a hundred different shades of red hearing Clem's comment. "I found some leaves outside..." She tried to change the subject in realizing what she had just said. It was odd, she would admit, but she didn't think anything of it since it was just a simple compliment. People complimented each other, didn't they? "We could do leaf rubbings if you have some paper and chalk..." Clementine suggested. "I used to do them all the time."

"I don't think we have any chalk." Sarah frowned. "Want to see what else I found though?" She asked and Clementine nodded. She then turned and reached under the bed and pulled out a gun; a pistol. "Will you teach me how to use it?" She asked. "I couldn't find any bullets..."

"Sarah, I don't think-" Clem started but was interrupted by the teen.

"What if I have to use one?" She questioned. "People are sick out there..."

"Okay..." Clementine nodded. "But we have to be careful, and don't tell your dad, he'll get angry." She explained.

"Got it." Sarah nodded and held up the gun.

"First thing... Remember, it's just a thing." Clementine said, quoting Lee from long ago.

"What does that mean?" Sarah asked.

"I'm not really sure."

"What do I shoot?" The teen asks as she spins around the room with the gun. She accidentally aims the gun at Clementine who ducks down. "S-Sorry!" Sarah exclaims as she puts the gun down. "I didn't mean to!" Her face is scared, but Clem stands up and reassures her that everything is okay.

"It's fine." Clementine says. "You didn't know any better."

Sarah nods, "Do you know how to play checkers? I found some old board games in the closet... We could do that to pass time." She suggested, changing the subject off the gun to something else. She didn't like the feeling of the gun in her hands anyway. She felt dangerous. It seemed like it was going to be a while before any of the others came back, so they needed to do something to keep them from being bored. Plus, Sarah was antsy because she just really wanted to talk to Rebecca about her situation.

"You could teach me." Clementine answered. She didn't really play many board games with her family before, and they never really found any when she was with Lee. "Is it hard?" She asked and Sarah shook her head. The two girls then sat down in the middle of the floor, spreading out game pieces and such. In the end, Clementine decided that she liked checkers, and that'd she play this game with Sarah more often.

"I think I hear someone outside." Sarah said looking out the window. "Oh! Luke's back!" She said and hurried down the stairs. Clementine shrugged and followed the older girl to the front door. "That's not Luke..." Sarah murmured as Clem finally caught up to her. The two girls were somewhat hiding from the man at the front door. "Clem, I think I know him!" Her voice was getting higher and higher at every second, and Clementine could almost hear her heartbeat. Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. "He can't see me. You have to make him go away." She barely managed to get out.

"Go find somewhere to hide... I'll take care of this." Clementine said, and even though Carlos specifically told her not to open the door for anyone, she had to do this for Sarah, so that Sarah could feel safe until everyone got back.

"Where?" Sarah asked looking around frantically. Another knock then sounded at the door. "Clem... I-I can't breathe..." Sarah was hyperventilating by now, taking short fast breaths. Clementine knew it was her bad nerves.

"Sarah... Listen..." Clem whispered. "Everything's going to be okay. Just be quiet, and go hide." She reassured the older girl. Sarah nodded and ran up the stairs, while Clementine went to answer the door.


	6. 6

Before Clementine could even get to the door, the intruder had already let himself in. Some nerve that this guy had. She just hoped that he wasn't a bandit or anything of that nature. Because she knew that she wouldn't be strong enough to fight him off if she had to. She turned around, making sure Sarah was out of sight, then turned back around to the mysterious man. He looked scruffy, with his gray hair and beard, and his eyes looked liked they were written with madness in them. He was wearing a brown coat with fur, and Clementine just wanted him to go away. "Hello there." He greeted, a snake-like smirk on his face. It was not a surprise that this man probably had bad intentions.

"Hello." Clementine replied, looking up at this strange man.

"How are ya?" He asked. It was a simple question nonetheless, but Clem felt odd that this man had just walked into her friend's home, and was now asking all these questions. She didn't feel like she had to answer him, but she didn't want him to grow suspicious of her or anything like that. So she decided to give him answers anyway.

"Okay..." She said slowly, "How are you?"

"Well, I'm doing just fine. Thank you." He started. "My family and I are set up down the river here, I'm kind of surprised we haven't run into each other yet. What's your name?" He asked. Clementine hesitated to answer his question at first, because she noticed that this man held a gun at his side. A part of her thought that he was lying about the whole family thing, but she didn't want to question him. Was this man here to hurt Clem and Sarah? Was he going to take their stuff? And should she give him her real name? It seemed risky.

"I'm Clementine." She answered sternly.

"Clementine... That's a sweet name." He replied. "Mind if I come in? I've been out all morning and this heat has got me cooked." He added.

"I don't think-" Clem started, but the man pushed his way through the door, and let himself in anyway. Who was this guy? If Sarah knew him, then the rest of the group had to know him... Did he used to live here in this house or something? Clementine just tried to keep her cool, and she didn't want to do anything stupid. Hopefully the rest of the group would be back shortly.

"This is a nice place you got here." He said looking around. "Is there anyone else around?" He added as he still looked around the cabin.

"We have a huge group." Clem answered. "But they're out hunting." She lied. Two could play at the lying game, and even though she didn't really like to do it much, she had to do it for her friend's safety. Lee had always told her to tell the truth, because lying could get you in trouble in the long run. "They should be back soon though." She added, crossing her arms for emphasis.

"Well, I'll cut to the chase then. I'm out here looking for my people. Seven of them to be exact. They've been gone a long while and I'm afraid they might have gotten hurt, or lost. I'm thinking maybe you've seen them?" The man continued on about his group. "Couple of farm boys and an old man, Spanish guy and his daughter, quiet girl, bit taller than you. A big black guy... This big." He said gesturing to his stomach, "And a pretty little pregnant lady." He finished. Whoever this guy was just described Nick, Luke, Pete, Carlos, Sarah, Alvin, and Rebecca... Clementine knew that they were in danger now. This guy was hunting them down or something like that.

"That's a lot of people to lose." Clem replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I know... This whole thing's gotten to be a pain in my ass." He said. He then opened the door to the kitchen, looking inside, inspecting it almost. This situation was getting pretty weird to Clementine. She followed him into the kitchen, making sure he wasn't getting into anything he wasn't supposed to be. After he left the kitchen, he made his way back into the living room of the cabin, still looking around. "I really like this place." He kept talking. Clementine just really wanted him to leave now. Just then, there was a squeak from upstairs, and Clementine knew that it had to be Sarah up there. "What was that?" The man asked, and Clementine shrugged. "I thought you said nobody was here."

"Nobody is here." The smaller girl replied. "It was probably the wind." She was proud of herself for staying this calm now. The man then pulled out his gun, and headed upstairs. Clementine followed behind, hoping and praying that Sarah was in a safe place. The man opened Sarah's bedroom door, pointing his pistol every which way, but Sarah was nowhere in sight. Clementine sighed of relief, "See. Nobody's here." She said smugly.

"Seems that way." The man said. "Didn't mean to be rude."

"I think you should leave now." Clementine replied bluntly.

"Wait a sec... What's this?" He asked as he leaned to the ground and picked up the picture of Sarah that they took earlier. "Do you know her?" He asked again as he showed the picture to Clem. She tried not to panic, because then he would know that she in fact, did know the rest of the cabin group. So Clem had to keep her cool while she answered his questions.

"Probably someone that lived here before." Clementine shrugged.

"You have no idea who these people are, do you?" He asked.

"I've never even met those people." Clementine lied. They stared at each other for a long moment, Clementine's gaze getting more harsh by the second. Her golden eyes narrowing. "You can leave now." She said in a monotone voice.

"I'll let myself out." He said and walked down the stairs.

"Don't come back." Clem replied bitterly, and listened to the sound of the front door opening, then closing. Finally, that strange man was gone, but she had a feeling that he'd be coming back, and soon too. Sarah then crawled out from under the bed that she and Clementine slept in. "Are you okay?" Clem asks, and looks over at Sarah, making sure that the older girl isn't scared anymore.

"That was scary..." Sarah breathes out.

"I know." Clementine says, and pulls her older friend in for a hug. "But everything's okay now. I made him go away, and the group should be back soon." She says.

She nods, "Is he gone?"

"For now." Clementine replied.

"What are we gonna do?" Sarah asked.

"We have to wait until everyone gets back. They'll know what to do." Clem said.


	7. 7

After the strange man left, Clementine and Sarah sit on the small green couch in the living room of the cabin. Both of them in silence and fear. Neither one of them really knew what to say to one another to make this kind of thing any better... But what could you say about a situation like that? They both knew that the whole group was in danger now. A part of Clementine couldn't help but to think that this was her fault... She shouldn't have let that man in, but it's not like she could have stopped him. He was a grown man, way bigger than her, and if he wanted to, he could have killed her.

But that guy knew everyone in the group, so he would have ended up tracking them down regardless. None of this was her fault, but she had to keep telling herself this because she didn't believe it. Maybe if she hadn't of answered the door, they would be safe. But she knew better than that too, because deep down, she knew that man would have come inside anyway. It was about a good twenty minutes before the first group member walked in the door from the fishing trip. Nick walked in first, carrying a small bag of fish, then Luke, Rebecca, Alvin, and last but not least Carlos. They greeted Clementine and Sarah when they all got in the house. "Hey girls." Alvin smiled.

"How was the fishing trip?" Clementine asked, not wanting to worry them as soon as they got back. She figured that it'd be best to deliver the news gently. she didn't want to frighten them, especially if they were all in a good mood at the moment.

"We're gonna be eatin' good tonight!" Luke exclaimed with a small smile.

"A man was here." Sarah said solemnly, looking down at the floor in shame.

"What?" Carlos nearly yelled.

"What did she say?" Rebecca asked. They were all in shock, and shaken up by this news. Clementine wished Sarah wouldn't have told them like that, but she guessed it was good that it was all out in the open now. She needed to get this over with, because who knew? That man could return at any time now with more people, and then he would hurt Clem's group, and she didn't want that at all.

"Someone came to the cabin..." Sarah continued, rubbing her arm in discomfort. She was looking pretty scared now, and Clementine wished that she would have never answered that stupid door. She didn't want Sarah to be afraid, she didn't want anyone to be afraid if she was being honest with herself.

"What?" Rebecca asked again.

"Clementine talked to him." Sarah added.

Rebecca was on the verge of shouting, it was no surprise that she was pissed off. "And you just opened the door for him?" Rebecca continued to question Clem. She was getting angrier by the second, and Clem was only feeling more embarrassed for going against them like this.

"Calm down Rebecca." Luke interjected.

"Calm down?" She yelled. "I am calm! You calm down!"

"He was coming in either way." Clementine said, crossing her arms to emphasize her words. "I only did it so we would be safe. I didn't want him breaking in the cabin." She added.

"She's telling the truth!" Sarah jumped in. "She made him go away."

Carlos' eyes then widened in fear, "Did he say what his name was?"

"Maybe it wasn't him!" Rebecca said.

"You know damn well who it was." Alvin muttered.

"He didn't say his name..." Clementine trailed off.

"Look, Clem..." Carlos started. "Just tell us what he looked like." He said, and Clementine obliged, describing the scruffy appearance of the strange man that trespassed her friend's home. She told them everything that she remembered, because she knew that any little detail would help them.

"He talked about you dad..." Sarah trailed off. "He talked about all of us." She was getting more scared by the second, and Clem just wanted her to calm down and tell her everything was going to be okay. "You're not going to hurt anyone, are you dad?" The teen girl asked.

"Of course he's not Sarah... You're dad's the nicest guy I know, which is why he's not gonna do anything crazy... Or not nice, right?" Luke asked, eyeing Sarah and Carlos. Clementine could tell that Luke had looked after Sarah for sometime, and that they were pretty close.

Carlos then put his arm around his daughter, "You know these are bad people sweetie... They will say or do anything to hurt us."

"Did it seem like he'd be coming back?" Luke asked.

"He saw a picture of me." Sarah said hastily.

"A picture?" Carlos yelled, "What were you doing taking pictures?"

"Carlos, you need to calm down, you're scaring your daughter." Luke said.

"I took the picture!" Clementine said. "You told me to distract her..." She trailed off, not wanting to look Carlos in the eyes because he was so angry.

"He was scouting..." Carlos said, calming down just a bit. "We got lucky, he wasn't expecting to find us. Clementine must have surprised him... If she hadn't been there..." He trailed off, getting lost in his thoughts. "Well, he was too smart to stick around, but he'll be back with the rest. We don't have much time." Carlos said.

"He's right..." Luke commented. "Everyone pack up. We're moving out." Rebecca and Alvin then left the room, going to get all their things ready.

"Clem, I don't know what he told you, but William Carver is a dangerous man." Carlos said. "He's a leader of a camp not far from here, and we were lucky to escape." He said. "And now that he's seen you, you'll be safer with us. Why don't you go help Sarah pack up?" He suggested, and Clementine nodded, and followed Sarah up the stairs to the room they shared.


	8. 8

The younger girl was hesitant as she followed Sarah up the stairs to the bedroom that they shared together. She felt slightly embarrassed since everything that had gone down."I'm sorry I got you in trouble." Clementine said once she and Sarah were upstairs alone in their room. "I didn't know your dad was going to act like that..." She trailed off, which was true. She had never seen someone so angry before. But also, she should have known better. She should have known Carlos was going to overreact, like usual.

"Don't worry." Sarah shrugged it off. "He's just trying to protect me." Clementine noticed that there was something off about her usual perky demeanor. She knew that this whole Carver thing probably made her a little scared, but something else was bothering her too, and Clem just couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Are you okay?" Clementine asked as she grabbed Sarah's arm lightly. "You can tell me if something's wrong, you know?" She said.

Sarah sighed, "I just don't wanna leave this place... I don't wanna go somewhere new... It's scary." She admitted.

"It'll be okay." Clementine tried to reassure. "We just have to stick together."

"Clementine." Sarah deadpanned. "Can I ask you something?"

Clem nodded, "Sure Sarah, anything."

"And don't lie to me." She warned. "Because I'll know."

"Okay." Clem said.

"What's really going on outside?" Sarah asked as she sat down on the bed. "I'm so tired of everybody trying to cover everything up... I'm not stupid! I know people are sick, but I want to know everything." She says as she looks up at her younger friend. "I mean, and I know it's because my dad wants to protect me, but I need to know this stuff because I want to protect myself..." Clementine only looks at her, contemplating whether she should tell Sarah this stuff or not. She isn't sure, and she knows that she's running out of time, because Carlos will be waiting on them to pack their stuff and get downstairs. "Please?" Sarah begged.

Clem sat down on the bed too, "Look, I'll tell you, just don't tell your dad because he will never forgive me." Clementine says.

"Okay, I won't say anything." Sarah nods.

"People are sick... And I'm not really sure what it is either, but there are things out there, walkers, or lurkers as you guys call them... But they're dangerous, and you shouldn't ever go around them, and if you want to kill them, you have to get them in the head. People are crazy, out there killing each other... You have to stay safe Sarah, okay?" Clementine finishes, "No matter what happens, you have to stay safe." She grabs Sarah's hands and squeezes them for emphasis, and Sarah only nods, trying to comprehend what her younger friend just said.

"Thank you for telling me the truth." She said. "And you have to stay safe too Clementine. We have to look out for each other." She adds.

"I know." Clementine smiles.

"Now, let's pack up." Sarah says. They stuff everything they can into the two small backpacks that they have; Clementine's purple one, and Sarah has a little blue one. They bring all the clothes they have, even though it's only a small amount of them, they bring the game of checkers that they like to play, and they bring some books to read too, and last but not least, the old camera, so they could take pictures of stuff they pass along the way. Once the two girls are done packing, their bags are stuffed full, and they can barely zip up.

"Sarah! Clem!" Carlos yells from the bottom of the stairs. "It's time to go!"

"Okay dad!" Sarah replied, and she and Clementine make their way down the steps with their heavy bags on their backs. They stand in the living room of the cabin, waiting for the rest of the group to gather around.

"Everyone got everything?" Luke asked.

"Think so." Nick replies.

"Alright then, let's head out." Luke answered. The group then shuffles out the door, and before Clementine exits the house, she feels Sarah grab her hand once again. She feels okay with it though, so they leave the house holding hands. They travel in a line, first Luke and Nick, then Alvin and Rebecca, then Clem and Sarah, and Carlos follows behind making sure everyone is safe. They walked for a few moments in silence, until Rebecca approached Clementine. All in all, Clem was surprised, because the last time she and Bec spoke it was in a hateful manner, and she asked her who the baby's dad was.

"Hey Clem..." Bec started. "Sorry if I gave you some shit back there... I'm just a little on edge with the pregnancy and everything. I think if we get to know each other a little better, we could actually become friends." She said as she looked down at the younger girl.

"It's okay." Clementine answered in a friendly manner. "I've handled much worse." She added.

"I bet you have..." Rebecca said, "And I think it's a shame that a little girl like you has to go through all this." She continued on. Clementine walked along though, listening to what Bec had to say. She didn't really say anything back though, she was just being observant like always.

"I figure we got about four or five days to reach those mountains." Luke said as he pulled out a map. "So, long as we don't stop that much, we should be alright." He looked down at the map. "If Carver's tracking us, we should lose them up there." And with that, they continued to walk on, until the sun was beginning to set. Clementine didn't like traveling at night, so she suggested they stop and make camp. The group agreed, and the fish was brought with them, so Nick decided to make a small fire so they could eat a little. It had gotten a little chilly, so the group huddled around the tiny fire for the night, hopefully, they wouldn't attract attention to themselves, and they could all get some much needed rest.


	9. 9

The group sat cross legged and relaxed around the small fire, enjoying the fresh fish that Nick had prepared for the lot of them. It had been such a long time since Clementine had an actual warm meal, so she savored the taste of the fish on her tongue, and she liked it a lot. Her stomach growled with anticipation as she took each bite. It was a cold and cloudy night, the stars not really wanting to show themselves, so it was darker than usual. The group of survivors thought it was safe to stop and rest here though, after all, they were secluded within the trees, and somebody would stay up and keep watch for the walkers and Carver. They all needed their energy for this five day long journey up into the mountains.

There was little chatter as the group ate. Everyone was sort of wrapped up in their own little thing and conversation. Rebecca and Alvin were talking about baby names, Nick and Luke were talking about the good old days before the apocalypse, Carlos was sort of wrapped up in his mind though as he sat there, and Clementine and Sarah were being awfully quiet too. But that was to be expected, everyone had a lot on their mind at the moment, but nobody wanted to bring it up. They didn't want the reality of the situation to really sink in. They were safe for now though, and that was all that mattered.

"I think I'm going to head to bed..." Carlos said as he stood up from the fire, stretching his stiff muscles. "Don't stay up too late." He said, directed to the group, but it was mostly towards Sarah and Clementine. He then leaned down to kiss his daughter on the top of the head, and stood back up to find him a spot on the ground to go to sleep. The group had brought all the blankets and sleeping bags they had, because they knew it would be cold when they traveled, so at least they wouldn't have to sleep too uncomfortably.

"I think I'm gonna crash too." Nick said, "It's been a long day." And he too went to find himself a good spot on the ground to go to sleep.

"Goodnight dad. Goodnight Nick." Sarah said as she continued to eat the rest of her fish. She'd been less talkative tonight; mostly because she was lost in her thoughts. She'd been contemplating it all day, but Sarah decided that tonight would be the night where she talked to Rebecca about her situation with Clementine. Ever since she had that conversation with her dad, she couldn't get it out of her head. She decided that she would wait until everyone fell asleep, and then go talk to her about it. Of course, the teen was nervous, but this had to be done. After all, she still never got all the answers that she needed, and she wanted to know why she felt this certain way towards Clem. And she wanted to know if Clementine felt even a little bit the same towards her.

A cold breeze then whipped through the air and Clementine shivered violently, "Gah..." She barely managed to get out. But she had handled the cold before, so this shouldn't be too bad of a night. Still though, she wished that she was better prepared to deal with it. It was no surprise that winter was on the way, and soon there would be snow on the ground.

"Are you cold?" Sarah asked as she began to remove her thin jacket, so Clem could have it.

Clementine shook her head as she looked over at the girl sitting beside her, "No, that's okay Sarah... Really, I don't want you to get sick." She argued as she gave the jacket back to the teen. The rest of the group stopped their side conversations and watched with curious eyes. They thought Clem and Sarah were being cute, and they'd known for a while now that the two girls had become great friends.

"I've got a better idea." Sarah trailed off and grabbed her backpack that she brought with all her stuff in it. She fished around in it for a few moments, then pulled out one of the many sleeping bags that they packed. "We can share this..." She said as she wrapped the blanket around Clementine, and then herself. They scooted closer to each other, so they could stay warm.

"Thanks Sarah." Clementine smiled.

It was quiet again for a few moments, the only sounds were the crack and pop of the little fire, and Clem relaxed a little and laid her head on Sarah's shoulder. And it was Luke who broke the silence between everyone. "Boy," Luke started. "Don't you two sure look comfy." He smiled at the two girls in a teasing manner.

"You girls sure have gotten close to each other, huh?" Rebecca asked.

"Clementine's the best." Sarah answered, and at this comment, Clem felt her cheeks begin to warm up. She wasn't sure when it happened, but throughout all this drama, throughout all the struggle and hardships, and the freaking apocalypse, she had found solace in Sarah, and she couldn't thank her enough for it. Their bond and feelings ran deep, and the eleven year old girl really didn't know what it meant yet. Maybe Sarah did since she was older? Who knew?

"Well, I'm glad you finally have a friend Sarah." Luke replied. He had been with the teen for so long he'd become somewhat of a guardian for her too, and he was just glad to see her happy, so was the rest of the group.

"And Clem's been such a great help to all of us." Alvin commented. "Hopefully she'll stay with us for a long time."

"I hope she does too." Sarah said as she looked down at Clementine.

The smaller girl shrugged, "It's not like I have anywhere else to go... Plus, Sarah needs me." And it was true. "And I need her." And that was true too, both the girls depended on each other when things got bad, whether they wanted to admit it or not. They relied on each other, and went to each other in their times of need. The group stayed silent after that, not wanting to draw attention to themselves for being too loud. They continued to eat their fish in comfortable silence, until they began to grow tired; yawns started to emit from each one of them.

"Y'all should go to bed," Luke said. "I'll keep watch for a few hours."

"Thanks Luke." Alvin said as he readied his and Bec's sleeping bag. Clementine watched as Sarah spread the sleeping bag out for them to lay on. It wasn't very big, so they'd have to lie close to each other for each of them to fit in it. They both laid down, and so did the rest of the group except Luke who was still sitting by the small fire.

"Goodnight Clementine." Sarah said as the two girls laid there. It was still pretty cold out, and Sarah was freezing. "Hey Clem?" She then asked.

"Yeah?" Clementine replied.

"Could you scoot closer to me so we can stay warm?" The teen girl asked. Clementine didn't reply, she only scooted forward and wrapped her arms around the bigger body that lie next to her. "Thank you." Sarah whispered. She then closed her eyes and pretended to be falling asleep, and hopefully everyone else would fall asleep soon because she really wanted to talk to Rebecca.


	10. 10

An hour or so passed by, and Sarah was quite certain that everyone was asleep by now. She heard her dad's snores off in the distance, so he was for sure asleep. Alvin was talking in his sleep, so he was asleep too. Nick had gone to bed the same time as her dad, so he should be asleep by now too. She didn't know if Rebecca was still up, but if she wasn't she'd just have to wake her up. Luke was still awake by the fire, keeping watch, but Sarah didn't care if he heard the conversation; Luke was like a brother to her. She even debated asking him for help, but she figured since he was a boy, he wouldn't really know, and he wouldn't be able to give her answers to her questions.

It took all of her energy to even stay up this long, because she was so exhausted. The teen girl then looked down at Clementine, who was sleeping so peacefully with her arm wrapped around Sarah. Sarah had to maneuver around the smaller girl carefully so she wouldn't wake her up. Once they were untangled from each other, she found her way in the dark to Rebecca's sleeping bag. "Sarah, you okay?" Luke asked as he saw Sarah getting up and moving around.

"I have to talk to Rebecca." She whispered loudly so he could hear. He only nodded in response. Of course, she was asleep. But Sarah really needed to have this conversation with her, she needed answers, and she needed answers soon so that she could hurry up and talk to Clementine about all of this stuff. "Rebecca?" Sarah asked in a whisper as she shook Bec's shoulder. She stirred a little bit, but this action didn't wake her up. "Rebecca!" She whispered a little bit louder, and this time, Rebecca's eyes fluttered open and she saw Sarah's face in the dark of the night.

"Sarah, you okay baby girl?" Rebecca asked as she wiped the sleep out of her eyes. "You didn't have a bad dream or anything, did you?" She asked as she began to sit up in the sleeping bag. It had gotten colder as the night went on, and it was practically freezing. Sarah could feel herself shivering slightly at the nippy air. Rebecca and Sarah were quite close for some time now, and she was almost like a motherly figure to then teen girl. Sarah always went to Bec about her problems, no matter how big or small. It seemed as though this was a perfect situation for the two.

Sarah sat down on the ground beside Rebecca, and looked up at her. "I really need to talk to you." Sarah whispered. "My dad told me to." She continued on. She then watched as Rebecca's eyes lit up. So her dad did talk to her about this whole situation. "Did he tell you about it?" She asked. At the moment, Sarah felt a little embarrassed. Shouldn't she know about these things? Why did she have to talk to everyone in the house about it?

Bec nodded, "He told me about it." She confirmed. "He said you're having some certain feelings toward Clementine." She trailed off, not really sure how to word it quite right. Rebecca was delighted though that she got to give Sarah advice, and got to have a chance to guide her and what not.

"Yeah..." Sarah nodded. "I'm just confused." She admitted honestly.

"Why are you confused?" Rebecca asked.

"It's just..." The teen girl trailed off, trying to find the right way to put what she wanted to say. She didn't want to sound dumb or anything. She wanted Rebecca to really know what she was talking about. She wanted Rebecca to really know how she felt for Clementine. "What do those feelings all mean? And she's another girl... Is that bad?" She questioned, as she tried to explain the best way should could.

"Well, if you want me to be blunt about it, you love her." Rebecca answered simply. "And don't mind that she's another girl, that's okay. Some girls love other girls, and some guys love other guys." She also added, trying to say it in the simplest form so she wouldn't confuse Sarah even more. She then watched, as Sarah got lost in her thoughts, trying to contemplate what she just said. The teen girl had to admit she had never really heard anything like that before, but if Rebecca had said it, it had to have been a real thing.

"I love her?" Sarah questioned.

"Maybe you don't love her yet..." Rebecca explained, "But you care for her a lot. Kind of like me and Alvin." She kept going, explaining in simple terms so that Sarah would understand. "But if you two keep getting closer, it'll turn into love, trust me." She finished with a small smile, happy to answer any questions that Sarah had. She wanted the teen girl to be well informed about everything.

"Oh!" And Sarah finally got it. She and Clementine were going to be together like Rebecca and Alvin were together. They would love and care for each other, and make sure one another was okay. It was kind of like they were already doing that anyway, so not much changes would be made once Sarah talked to Clementine about this.

"Did that answer all your questions?" Bec asked as she looked down at Sarah.

"When should I tell Clementine?" Sarah asked.

"Whenever you want, because I guarantee you she feels the same." Rebecca answered.

"Thank you so much Rebecca!" Sarah exclaimed as she hugged Rebecca gently. She was glad that she finally got the answers that she needed, and so glad she wasn't confused about this stuff anymore. Clementine gave her butterflies because she was special, and they cared about each other so much.

"It's no problem sweetie." Rebecca replied, "Now go on and get some sleep so you're not tired in the morning." Sarah nodded, and made her way back to the sleeping bag she shared with Clementine. She crawled back into it carefully so she wouldn't wake her friend up. Now that she got everything sorted out, she was going to have to think of a good time to confess to Clementine, and Sarah was a little nervous about that. The teen was very sensitive to other people's emotions, and she wasn't sure how Clem would react to all this. Her eyes began to grow heavy though, and she knew she'd be asleep in a few moments. She decided that she'd wait a few days until she told Clementine, that way the information that Rebecca gave her had time to sink in. All in all though, despite everything that happened today, Sarah went to sleep a very happy girl.


	11. 11

The next morning, Clementine was the first one to wake up. All the others were sleeping soundly, even Luke who had probably managed to doze off hours ago beside the fire was sleeping like a baby. The fire had died out long ago, but that was to be expected, after all, it was only a tiny little fire. The young girl then sat up and stretched her sore body. Sleeping on the ground never would grow to be comfortable to Clementine. She'd always wake up with stiff muscles and a sore back. She took in her surroundings, since it was too dark last night. They were indeed in the middle of a forest, the foliage from the trees hiding them quite well. Her golden brown eyes then drifted to the delicate body that was sleeping next to her. Sarah looked so relaxed, and she was drooling a bit, which Clementine found to be pretty adorable.

She swore that she felt Sarah stir and get out of the sleeping bag last night. It was after Clementine had just fallen asleep when she felt the older girl get out of bed. Maybe she had a bad dream? Maybe she had to go to the bathroom? Whatever it was, Clem just hoped that her friend was okay. She knew that moving out of the cabin was hard on Sarah. She didn't know the cruelties of the outside world, and Clem was so afraid that she would have to find out the hard way like this. What would happen if they saw a walker on their journey? Was Sarah prepared for that?

Covering Sarah back up with the sleeping bag, Clementine stood and stretched her tender legs. It was very chilly on this early morning, and the sun was barely peeking out from behind the clouds. It was foggy out too, and Clem decided that she would make another small fire for when the others woke up. Gathering some small sticks and twigs, she stacked them up neatly in the hot coals of the other fire. She then grabbed Luke's lighter nearby and lit the small fire.

Once Clementine was content with her fire, she sat down and crossed her legs. A yawn escaped her lips, and she felt groggy on this early morning. She could go back to sleep, but she decided that it'd be best if she just stayed up until the others woke up. Staring at the fire, she began to get lost in her thoughts once again. Boy she wished she had some more of that fish that they ate last night... It was so good. How did she even get here?

If one looked at her, you might assume she was a little girl lost... Lost in the apocalypse, lost in the scary adult world, lost in herself, and maybe even lost in life... She was only eleven years old, she was supposed to be with her parents, she was supposed to be in school. Funny how things worked out. But deep down, Clementine sort of felt a little thankful for the apocalypse, because without it, she would have never met Lee, Kenny, Duck, Katjaa, Christa, Sarah... Or any of the other great people that she stayed with along the way. She was glad Lee taught her how to hold her own, and how to survive. It was still hard, being here without him.

But once you got to know Clementine, you'd easily see she was the opposite of all those things; she wasn't lost. She knew exactly what she was doing. She was strong, and she was brave. And of course, she started out as innocent, but the loss of innocence comes for everybody, doesn't it? Albeit the people she cared for and loved weren't in her life anymore, but she lived to learn that people come and go... But the feelings that you have for them stay forever. That was why Clementine was so impressionable on people, and maybe... Just maybe that was why she felt the way she did for Sarah.

Speaking of Sarah, the teen girl began to stir. "Clem?" She called out, reaching for her glasses that was beside the sleeping bag.

"I'm here." Clementine replied as she got up to go help Sarah get her glasses. She picked them up and handed them to her friend.

"Thanks." Sarah said as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "How'd you sleep?" She then asked as she shivered a bit, then covered herself up with the sleeping bag again. It was very nippy this particular morning, and neither of the girls really liked it all that much.

"I'm a little sore from sleeping on the ground, but nothing I can't handle." Clementine shrugged it off. "What about you?" She asked, afraid of Sarah's answer. She really hoped that she was dealing with this whole outside world thing adequately. She remembered what Carlos had said when she arrived at the cabin. If Sarah knew about the apocalypse, she would cease to function, and Clementine actually believed him when he said that.

"I had a little trouble falling asleep." Sarah answered. "But that's okay, I'm not tired anymore."

"That's good..." Clementine nodded.

"Hey, are you hungry?" Sarah asked as she grabbed her book bag full of random stuff.

"You have food?" Clem questioned incredulously.

"Shh! Don't tell anybody." Sarah said as she pulled some fruit snacks out of the bag. "I brought them for us." She smiled as she gave Clem a package. Clementine smiled, it had been a long time since she had eaten fruit snacks, and Sarah's gesture was really cute.

"Thanks Sarah." She thanked and began eating the gummy snacks. It was peaceful here in the morning, and Clementine decided that she liked it here with Sarah, alone, eating fruit snacks, and just talking about anything in the world. It was almost close to perfect, and she didn't want it to end. But the perfect moment had to come to a close soon, because the other members were beginning to wake. Nick was the first one up, and he looked at Clementine and Sarah like he'd slept the worst last night.

"Who built the fire?" He questioned as he rubbed his eyes trying to get the sleep out of them.

"I did." Clementine answered as she finished her fruit snacks.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with lighters?" He asked.

"You could say thanks." Clementine retorted and Nick ignored her, and sat down by the fire.

"Don't worry about Nick..." Sarah whispered in Clem's ear, "He's always crabby in the morning." She said with a small laugh. And one by one, the other group members began to wake up too, and soon they'd be on with their journey to the mountains.


	12. 12

Finally, after all the other group members were awake, it was time to keep moving. They still had four very long days ahead of them, and no doubt it would be nothing but a restless trip. They cleaned up all their supplies and repacked their bags, and even destroyed their little fire pit so that there was no sign of them here if Carver decided to show up. "All right, everyone ready?" Luke asked as he shouldered his bag. He was answered with a few head nods, and some chimes of yes, and they were on their way to the mountains. Getting into their normal lines, the group trekked on. It was quiet between them for the most part, just some light conversation about the weather, or the walkers.

Clementine noticed that Sarah was being awfully quiet since this morning when they shared their fruit snacks, and she hoped the older girl was okay. Sarah was never known to be quiet, unless she was upset. Since they were walking beside each other, Clementine slipped her small hand into Sarah's and squeezed it for comfort. Sarah looked over and smiled, and they continued holding hands as they walked. It felt like they had walked for a few hours, when Alvin finally spoke up about something more important than the weather. "Guys, we gotta take a break, Bec's tired." He said and they stopped and turned to look at one another.

"Don't listen to him, I'm fine." Rebecca tried to argue, but it was clear that she was out of breath. She was walking for two, so it was no doubt she'd be tired with all the extra weight and what not, plus, exertion could make her go into labor early, and nobody wanted that. The baby would be quite premature if born now, and it would have little survival chance.

"Listen to you, you can barely breathe." Alvin retorted. "Let's just sit down for a few minutes until you catch your breath." He tried to reason with his wife, and she nodded in agreement, and they sat down on a nearby log.

"A break is what we need anyway, I'm tired too." Nick said as he took off his hat and wiped the small beads of sweat from his forehead. Albeit it was chilly out, the group was walking at more than a leisurely pace, and they were hot and tired.

Luke nodded, "Okay, ten minutes." He said as he too sat down. Clementine used her long sleeve to wipe her forehead as well, the fished around in her book bag for the small canteen of water that she brought from the house. She took a small drink, then walked over to Rebecca.

"You thirsty?" Clementine asked as she held the canteen out to Bec. She knew that she was probably dehydrated from the baby and all this walking.

"Oh, Clementine, thank you, but you need it more than I do." Rebecca replied.

"I'm not the one with a baby about to pop out of me." Clem smiled. "Seriously, take it." She said, holding the canteen out again. Hopefully this would show the group that she wasn't so hard after all. Because if she was going to stay with them, she wanted them to trust her, and think she was nice. Deep down, Clementine knew that she hadn't won over everyone in the group yet, even if she had been staying with the group for a month it seemed.

"That's very sweet of you Clem." Alvin said as he watched Rebecca take the canteen and take small sips out of it, trying to make it last. "I'm sure she'll feel better now."

"Don't mention it." Clementine shrugged. "I better go check on Sarah." She then looked around for her teen friend and saw that she was talking to her dad, Carlos. She didn't want to intrude on their conversation, so she waited until they were done. A part of Clem was glad that Sarah still had her dad to talk to stuff about. In fact, if she really wanted to get down on her feelings, she felt a little envious that Sarah still had her father, and she didn't, hell, she didn't even have Lee anymore. But Clementine knew better, she wouldn't let envy get the best of her. "What was all that about?" Clem asked as Sarah walked over and approached her.

"Oh, he was just checking on me... You know how dads are." Sarah replied. The conversation consisted of Carlos asking how Sarah was dealing with the move. She was okay, due to Clementine, and she also told her dad about her conversation with Rebecca that night, and he was happy that she was happy. Bringing her back out of her thoughts, Sarah watched as a look of sadness flashed on Clementine's face. "I'm sorry Clementine... I didn't mean it like that..." Sarah said gently.

"Yeah, I know..." Clem trailed off. "It's just hard not to think about... What happened to the people I love... Well, loved." She added on.

"I think about my mom everyday." Sarah said, and her voice then dropped down to a whisper so her dad wouldn't hear her. "She turned into one of those... Things."

"A walker?" Clementine asked, but she knew what Sarah was talking about. The teen girl only nodded. "I'm so sorry, Sarah." Clem said. Now she felt bad for envying Sarah for her father, because she knew that her older friend lost people she loved too. In the end, they had both experienced some form of loss, whether it be big or small, it was all the same, and they both went through some kind of pain.

"It's okay." Sarah said simply.

"All right everyone!" Luke said, "Time to keep moving." He added. Everyone got up, and started walking again. Throughout the four days, they stopped every night to camp and sleep and get their energy back up, and they walked during the day. The mountains wouldn't be far now, and the whole group was getting pretty agitated at one another because they were hungry, and sleep deprived, and just tired of walking. They were nearing the end of their five day trip, and were almost at the mountains, and almost to safety, when suddenly, they encountered a large bridge. "What the hell?" Luke questioned.


	13. 13

"We gotta cross it..." Luke said as he looked at his fold out map. "It's the only way."

"How do we know it's know crawling with lurkers?" Carlos asked. He had a good point though. If only they knew what they were dealing with before they crossed the bridge. They had to cross it though, they were surrounded by water, it was the only way across. It would be better to know if they weren't walking into a trap. Clementine tried to think of anything useful that could help them.

"I found some binoculars at the house." She offered as she began digging around in her bag once again. "We should be able to see if there are walkers over there." She said as she pulled them out.

"Good thinking Clem." Luke praised. "Go on and take a look." He ordered and she obliged and climbed up on a rock to look through the pair of binoculars. "See anything?" Luke asked.

"She better see something, we've been walking for a damn week." Alvin muttered. Everyone was crabby at this point, and they were taking it out on each other.

"We've got to find some shelter." Carlos said.

"There's a lift, or something." Clementine replied.

"Chair lift?" Luke questioned. "Must be that ski resort." He trailed off.

"I've never been skiing." Clem said quietly.

"Bec and I went once." Alvin chimed in.

"It wasn't pretty." She added. Clementine looked through the binoculars again, trying to find anything. After all, she was pretty tired of walking too, she was ready to find a safe shelter so that they could relax again, and not have to worry about walkers, or that Carver guy. She knew that Sarah probably felt the same way too.

"There's a building on the mountain." She said as she looked through the binoculars.

"What's it look like?" Luke asked.

"It's big." Clem replied.

"That sounds like a good place to spend the night." Luke said with a nod, looking back at Alvin and Rebecca who were sitting on a log.

"There's a little house at the end of the bridge." She also spotted.

"How big is it?" Carlos asked.

"It's pretty small..." She said and kept looking through the binoculars, trying to find anything else that would help them in their journey. "But the bridge looks clear, I think we can cross it." Clem adds, climbing down from the rock and putting her binoculars away.

"All right, we got to cross that bridge." Carlos said. "Let's go."

"Wait a sec." Luke interrupted. "I don't think we should all go at once... It could be dangerous if we get spotted." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of a plan. "I'll sneak across, and make sure it's safe and clear before we send the whole group over." He said.

"You think splitting up the group is a good idea?" Carlos asked, putting a hand on his hip.

"It's better than risking everybody at once." Luke retorted.

"What's your plan?" Alvin asked.

"Clem and I can go across low and slow and make sure it's safe for y'all." Luke said, shrugging. At the sound of her name, Clementine perked up. Luke wanted her to go across the bridge with him? Why not Carlos, or Nick? That was a sign that he already trusted her. A part of her wanted to go to prove her place in the group, but another part wanted to stay with Sarah, and make sure that she stayed safe.

"You want me to go?" Clementine asks incredulously.

"You shouldn't send Clementine." Carlos interrupted. "She's a... She's just a little girl Luke..." He added. "Maybe she should stay here with Sarah."

"She'll be fine, hell, if she can sew up her own arm I'm sure she can cross a bridge." Luke argued.

"I guess I'll do it." Clem answered.

"All right, we'll signal you guys if anything happens." Luke said. "Come on." He added and he and Clementine began walking to the beginning of the bridge.

"Be careful Clem!" Sarah called out. Clem and Luke had ample conversation on their way to the bridge, about the walkers, about their current situation, about Carver, until finally, they reached the entrance of the bridge. They encountered two walkers, but they were easy to take out. Once the two walkers were out of the way, the pair began crossing the bridge. Clementine hoped that the others were okay, and she hoped that Sarah wasn't worried about her. They were doing alright, weren't they?

In her mind, she hoped that the ski lodge or the little house would be a safe refuge for the group. Clem was concerned for their safety, and their state of mind. They were all so angry at each other all the time, but she knew it was from the stress of the apocalypse, and the stress of the whole Carver thing. Clementine was stuck in the middle once again, but she didn't regret meeting these people, because she got to be friends with Sarah, and Sarah helped her get the stuff to fix her arm. Clementine assumed that she had become a big part in this group.

They encountered a few more walkers once they reached the middle of the bridge, but then again, it was nothing that the two couldn't handle. Clementine was practically a pro at killing the walkers now, and it didn't bother her anymore. They kept on walking, until Luke stopped Clementine. "You see him?" Luke asked, referring to the man that was coming across the other side of the bridge towards Clem and Luke.

"Yeah." Clem answered.

"Just play it cool, and you do the talking, okay?" Luke confirmed.

"What?" She asked. "Why me?"

"I don't want to get in a fight. You really think he'd shoot a little girl?" He answered. "Just don't make any sudden moves. And don't piss him off... And don't tell him anything. You know on second thought, maybe I should do the talking." He was rambling.

"Shut up!" Clementine hissed as the man grew closer to them.

"Well, who are you?" The man yelled from a distance.


	14. 14

"We're a little lost." Clementine answered the man honestly.

"Lost, huh?" The man replied. He walked closer to Clem and Luke, and approached them gently, to show them that he meant no harm. He inspected them slightly as well, as if to make an impression that they weren't dangerous, or weren't here to hurt him. "You don't look like assholes... Are you assholes?" He asked in a sarcastic manner. "No offense or anything." He quickly added, "But you know how it is out here."

"I'm not." Clementine replied.

"Are you calling me an asshole?" Luke asked her in a joking manner.

The man chuckled and moved a little closer to the pair. "You guys headed north like everyone else?" The man asked, finally face to face with Clem and Luke. Clementine got a good look at him; dark hair, moustache and goatee, skinny guy.

"Everyone else?" Luke asked.

"I see at least one group a day pass through here." The man said. "I gotta say, you two look like shit. If you need food, I've got a few cans back at the station back there." He said turning around, gesturing to the little house that Clementine saw through her binoculars.

"That's awful nice of you." Luke said. "But what's the catch?" He asked.

"No catch, I've got plenty."

"Well alright then, thank you." Luke replied.

"It's no problem, like I said, it's nice running into friendly faces out here. I've got plenty of food and supplies, if you want..." The man was saying but trailed off and his eyes got big. "What the fuck man?" He asked and Luke turned around to see Nick running toward them with his gun. He held it up, and aimed it towards the man. The man aimed his gun at Nick as well.

"He's with us!" Luke exclaimed. "Nick! Don't do it!" Luke yelled, waving his arms at his fellow group member.

"Nick!" Clementine yelled as well, but it was too late. The gunshot was fired, and Luke and Clem ducked down so they wouldn't get hurt. The stranger, was shot in the neck. It was no use as he stumbled and fell over the bridge. Clem and Luke got back up and looked in surprise.

"Did I hit him?" Nick asked as he walked towards Luke and Clem. "Where is he?"

"I told you not to shoot!" Luke almost yelled. "He was going to help us." Clementine listened to the two argue about shooting the man, until finally, they were both argued out. She saw the rest of the group coming down the bridge behind them. None of them were hurt, thankfully. "We gotta get off this bridge." Luke said. "Let's go." He added and they walked. They safely made it to the station, and sat down to take a break.

Rebecca was out of breath once again when they finally sat down. "Who the fuck was that back there?" She asked.

"I don't know." Luke replied.

"Looked like he had a gun on you." Alvin said as he sat down beside his wife. They argued some more about the man on the bridge, nobody really knew if the stranger was going to shoot or not. Who knew, he could have been with Carver, or part of Carver's group.

"Fuck you Luke!" Nick yelled, "You've been on my case all fucking week!" He yelled again.

"And why do you think that is Nick?" Luke asked, getting angry too. Clementine couldn't take much more of this arguing, and she was always so tired of being stuck in the middle of stuff. So, instead of standing here, listening to these two argue, she went to find Sarah.

"We have to keep moving." Carlos said with a stern voice.

"I can't." Rebecca whimpered. "I need a minute."

"Fine." Carlos replied. Sarah was sitting down on the ground beside Rebecca, so Clementine went to join her. She was still being pretty quiet, but that was to be expected with the the circumstances. Nick just killed somebody, an innocent person who looked like he was going to help them. Sarah was probably a little shaken up by that. It was just another thing to add on to her list of fears.

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked, once Clem sat down beside her.

"Fine now." Clementine answered with a small smile.

"I was so worried that something was going to happen to you." Sarah said with a shake of her head. "But, I'm glad you're safe." She nodded and smiled at Clementine too.

"Hey Clem, you got something to eat?" Alvin asked, "Bec's dying over here." Clementine then listened to them bicker about how she didn't need anything to eat, but she really did because of the baby. This group really needed to get it together if they wanted to survive. Clem knew that stress made people more vulnerable, but still, you shouldn't take your anger out on other people, it wasn't right.

"Sorry... I'm all out." Clementine shrugged. "That man... He said there was food in the station. I'll go look." She said and made her way inside the tiny building. Once she was in, she found some of the man's stuff, a survival knife that she took and kept in her bag just in case she might need it later, and a few cans of food. After Clem was sure she scavenged everything, she made her way back outside and delivered her cans of food to Rebecca.

"Thank you so much Clem." Rebecca said as she took the food. "I really appreciate you trying to help me out." She said.

"We're a team now." Clementine shrugged. "We look out for each other." Suddenly, there was a group of walkers making their way across the bridge, and the group knew that it was time to keep moving. So much for having a safe place to spend the night. It looked like the group was all ready to go, so they headed up the mountain to the ski lodge. Maybe they'd have some better luck up there.


	15. 15

The walk up the mountain to the ski lodge was antagonizing. Clementine felt her legs and thighs burning once they made it to the top. "Well?" Rebecca asked once they finally reached the lodge. She was out of breath once again. "What are we waiting for?" She asked as she saw Carlos and Nick perched outside of the building.

"We have to be careful." Carlos answered.

"Careful?" Rebecca retorted, putting her hands on her hips. "We've been careful for five days. My back is done being careful." She said, trying to catch her breath.

"Doesn't look like anybody's home." Alvin said, inspecting the boarded up windows. "Nailed down tight." He said as he tried pulling at one of the boards. They looked around some more, inspecting the place, making sure there was absolutely nobody here before they claimed the place as their own. Just as they thought the place was clear, another group of survivors made their appearance known.

"Listen everyone, just stay calm." Luke tried to reason.

"Who are you?" A woman with a thick accent asked. "Are you trying to rob us?"

"Excuse me honey, but do I look like a fucking thief?" Rebecca exclaimed.

"Everyone calm down." A balding man said.

"Hey man, you calm the fuck down." Alvin retorted.

"Sarah, get behind me." Carlos ordered.

"Just tell us who you are." The balding man spoke again.

"We ain't here to rob nobody, just put the gun down." Alvin coaxed.

"Fuck that!" A familiar to Clementine exclaimed.

"Please just do what he says!" The woman with the accent cried out. Clementine was able to make her way to the front of her group, and in that moment, she could have swore that she was dreaming. Was she seeing stuff right now? Or was this really real?

"Kenny?" She almost yelled. Was that really him? Of course he looked a little different with his beard now, but she still knew that it was him. His eyes were wide with shock as well.

"Wait, you know this guy?" Luke asked.

"Clementine?" Kenny asked as he stared down at the little girl he once knew long ago. Clem was overwhelmed with emotion, and she flung herself into his arms. Her heart was pumping so fast, and she was still debating whether this was real or not. A part of her old life with Lee still existed, and she was so thankful for that. The hug lasted for quite a few moments, before they pulled away from each other. "These people with you?" He asked as he knelt down so he could look her in the eye. She nodded, at a loss for words at the moment. "We can talk inside." Kenny gestured to the ski lodge.

"Great." The balding man said. "I just started dinner."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Carlos asked.

"It's going to storm soon, please come in." The bald man said. The group then made their way inside the ski lodge, thanking their lucky stars that they finally found a safe place to stay for the night. It was truly a blessing. Clementine couldn't help but to feel ecstatic right now. Kenny was still alive, and healthy, and safe, and she was just so glad that she found him. The ski lodge was nothing that they expected it to be. It was clean, and warm, and safe, and they actually had electric there. Could a survivor group in the zombie apocalypse ask for more? "Kenny and Sarita have been staying with us for several weeks." The balding man explained. Sarita must have been the woman with the accent.

"Walter here is one smart son of a bitch." Kenny said. "Makes a mean can of beans too."

"Why don't you catch up while I get dinner started?" Walter suggested. "Please, make yourselves at home, you can leave your things by the door." He said, and the group was hesitant at first, but then obliged, not wanting to make new enemies already.

"Dad! Look, a Christmas tree!" Sarah exclaimed with excitement.

"Not now Sarah." Carlos said.

"Isn't it great?" Sarita asked, "We found it all in storage."

"It's amazing." Sarah said.

Clementine and Kenny made their way over to the fire place, while the rest of the group was getting settled in. There was something different about Kenny, Clementine was almost sure of it. "You know, I half expected Lee to walk up next to you. You guys were like two peas in a pod." He spoke.

"It's still hard to talk about him." Clementine replied.

"I'm sorry darlin'." Kenny said. "He was a hell of guy." The two then talked about everything that they missed in each other's life. How Christa and Omid took care of Clementine when Lee died, and how they ended up being separated from each other, and how she ended up with the group she was with now. Kenny explained to her how he found Sarita, and what happened after he tried to save Ben.

"I thought you were dead." Clementine said. "But, I'm glad you're not."

"It's great to have you back." Kenny smiled.

"You two catching up?" Sarita asked as she approached them.

"Clem, this is my girl Sarita, ain't she beautiful?" Kenny asked.

"It's good to meet you Clementine." Sarita introduced herself.

"Hey Walt, where's Matthew? He still out there rooting around?" Kenny yelled.

"Of course he is." Walter replied as he continued cooking.

"Carlos, right?" Sarita asked as the rest of Clem's group was done checking out the place. "Mind if I steal your daughter for a secret mission?" She asked playfully, but you could see the excitement in Sarah's dark eyes. He nodded, and told her to be careful.

"That's Sarah." Clementine told Kenny. "She's my best friend." Kenny smiled at hearing Clem say that. It was good to have someone her age to talk to and interact with. He was happy for her. The survivors then went about their business at the ski lodge, Alvin and Rebecca resting up, Luke, Carlos, and Nick helping Kenny with supplies, Sarah and Sarita decorating the tree, Walter was cooking dinner, and Clementine was just so glad that they finally found a safe place to stay.


	16. 16

Once she was sure that her group was settling in nicely, Clementine decided to go help Walter with dinner. She was thankful that she'd be getting another hot meal tonight. The ski lodge was a really nice place to stay, and Clem was glad they could find more people to help. She looked around making sure everything really was okay, and she headed over to the kitchen area where Walt was stirring a pot of something. "Hey Clementine, settling in well enough?" Walter asked as he looked up at the girl.

"Yeah thanks." Clementine answered.

"Excellent, want to help me prepare a little dinner?" He asked.

"Sure." Clementine smiled. She was going to be as much help as she could around here since these people and Kenny were going to let her and her group stay here.

"So you know Kenny?" Walter asked as he stirred the stuff in the pot. "He and Sarita have been a huge help. Matthew and I didn't even know what to do with the place before they showed up." He laughed a little bit. "But Kenny never slows down, so he gets a lot done."

"He's an old friend." Clem replied.

Walter looked a little concerned, "Connecting with people is so important, I'd don't know what I'd do without Matthew." Walter continued on. A part of Clementine wanted to ask who Matthew was since he wasn't here at the moment, but she decided it was none of her concern at the moment. He added a bit of salt to the mysterious stew, "Gosh, you remind me so much of my students. I can't imagine what it's like having to grow up in the middle of all this."

"Everyone underestimates me." Clem answered.

"You've probably used that to your advantage." Walt winked.

"Sometimes." Clementine smiled.

"Smart girl." Walter said. "Hm..." He said looking down at the stew. "It's almost done. Would you do me the honors of tasting it?" He asked. Clementine was hesitant and looked down into the big pot, she didn't recognize the food that was in there. "It's peaches and beans." He commented, practically reading the small girl's mind. "It's all we've got."

"Looks great." Clem shrugged.

"I'll take it from here Clem, thanks for your help." Walter said and disappeared back into the kitchen. Once he was gone, Clem decided to have a look around the lodge, and that's when her eyes found Sarah who was helping Sarita decorate the Christmas tree. She looked so happy, and she looked like she was having fun too. Walking over quietly, Clementine decided that she'd go check up on her friend.

"I haven't seen one of these in forever." She said once she approached her friend and Sarita. The tree was nearly done now, the two girls were just hanging up a few more bulbs on the small branches.

"Isn't it great Clementine?" Sarah asked with excitement.

"You're doing a good job." Clementine replied with a smile. She was glad that Sarah was able to distract herself at the moment, and not be worried about the apocalypse or the walkers, or having to move out of their small cabin. She hoped that they'd be okay here.

"You knew Kenny before?" Sarita asked as she busied herself with hanging up the bulbs on the tree. "It must be incredible to see him again. When I met him, he was so different than he is now." She continued.

"It's nice to see him." Clementine nodded. "He seems happier." She said and Sarita smiled. After she made sure that Sarah was okay, she headed up the stairs to where all the beds and stuff were to check on Alvin and Rebecca since the rest of the group was outside gathering supplies for the lodge. "Everything okay?" Clementine asked as she looked over at Bec.

"I don't feel too good." Rebecca said and rubbed her protruding stomach.

"What's wrong?" Alvin asked as he leaned down to help his wife.

"I think I just need something to drink." She answered with a nod.

"I'll go get you something." Alvin said and stood up and headed down the stairs.

"Are you okay?" Clementine asked Rebecca.

"I'm fine honey." Bec replied. "I just got a little dizzy."

"Dinner should be ready soon." Clementine said. Somehow, since Rebecca had taken the time to confide in her about the baby, and about all her troubles, Clem felt closer to her, like she had made a new friend, or someone that she could just talk to if she needed it. Clementine did believe that Rebecca had it tough, after all, she was pregnant and her husband wasn't even the father. Clem knew that it was Bec's problem, but she just couldn't help but to feel a little pity for the older woman. They talked for a few more minutes, until they heard Alvin coming back up the stairs.

"There's my man." Rebecca smiled.

"Are you okay?" Alvin asked as he handed her a bottle of water.

"I'm fine you big dope." Rebecca said.

"You just got to get some food in you." He replied. "Thanks for staying with her Clem." He added.

"Dinner's ready!" Walter yelled throughout the lodge so that everyone would hear him. Clementine, along with everyone else made their way to where some tables were set up so that they could eat. Luke, Nick, Carlos and Kenny had made their way back inside from gathering supplies, and while Kenny and Carlos were talking to Sarita, Clem could hear a bit of Nick and Luke's quiet conversation.

"How you holding up man?" Luke asked.

"I'm okay..." Nick nodded. "Just... Wish I hadn't pulled that trigger..." Although Clementine wanted to sit with Kenny so they could catch up with him some more, her inner conscience was telling her that she hadn't missed much with him. She just wanted to be around him because he was tied to Lee. So, she decided to go sit with Sarah. She had convinced the girl to move to a table all by themselves so they could sit alone.

"Do you like it here?" Clementine asked once they started eating their peaches and beans. She hoped that Carver's crew wasn't looking for them anymore so that they could stay here for as long as they wanted.

"I love it here." Sarah answered, giving Clem a big smile. The two girls then continued to eat in small chit chat, making each other laugh, and while they were sitting over there by themselves, Kenny couldn't help but to notice how close they were.


	17. 17

After dinner, the survivors were feeling rather tired, and Matthew still hadn't returned yet. Clementine was beginning to get worried, but then decided that it wasn't her problem to worry about. She was just glad they were safe for the night. "I hope Matthew's okay..." She heard Walter say as they were readying for bed. "He missed dinner and everything..." She couldn't help but to feel kind of bad, because deep down, Clem knew who Matthew was. He was the guy on the bridge, the guy that Nick shot, but she wasn't going to say anything. She would stay quiet and grateful for this shelter and food.

Another luxury of the ski lodge was that they had running water, and extra clothes. The survivors were able to take quick showers to rinse all the grime off themselves, and wash their clothes so they had an extra pair. Clementine even was able to wash all the blood and guts off her hat. Clementine felt great once she showered, and she was feeling rather tired too. It had to have been getting late as well, because it was very dark outside, and the storm was about to come. She knew Sarah didn't like storms, so they wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

"Did you have a good bath?" Sarah asked once Clem arrived upstairs where all the beds were at. Most of the group was already asleep in their small cot like beds. The only two still awake was Kenny, because he was making sure Sarita slept okay. And Walter was still awake because he was very worried about Matthew. "I feel so much better now that I'm clean, I think a good bath was what we needed." Sarah rambled.

"The bath was nice." Clementine agreed as she watched Sarah climb into her cot bed. There were enough beds for the two girls to have their own, but Clem felt like it would be weird to sleep in her own bed now since she and Sarah had been sleeping together since they met. "Do you mind if I sleep with you?" She asked, just in case Sarah didn't want her to. The teen girl was already buried under her blanket, ready for bed.

"Get over here." She replied with a light smile. Clementine obliged and crawled into the cot with Sarah, getting under the blankets and snuggling in the older girl's warmth, facing her. In her mind, Clementine didn't know what she would do without Sarah's arms. They were always there for her; in comfort, in warmth, in joy, just everything. Sarah was always there regardless, and Clem would reciprocate and do the same. "There's going to be a bad storm tonight... My dad told me." She trailed off.

"That's okay." Clementine replied. "I'll protect you."

"Thanks." Sarah replied simply. It was quiet between the two girls then, the only sounds in the room were Kenny's loud snores, and Walter's pacing downstairs. Everyone else was fast asleep too. The two girls were pretty much basking in each other's company; thanking their lucky stars that they had one another. "Hey Clemmy?" Sarah asked out of nowhere, and Clementine recognized that Sarah had never used that nickname for her. She didn't mind though, in fact, she kind of like it because it made her feel close to Sarah.

"Yeah?"

"The world is bad..." Sarah whispered.

"I know." Clementine said simply.

"No... Like I knew it was bad... But then you told me about the walkers... And today I saw them... I knew it was bad, but I didn't think it was that bad." The teen girl tried to explain. "I didn't know what to expect." She rambled on, and Clementine sighed. She was regretting telling Sarah about the walkers. If she knew it was going to make the girl worry even more, then she wouldn't have said a word.

"Sarah." Clem stated. "There's bad things out there, I'm not going to lie to you, and it's probably going to get worse." She said. "But I don't want you to be afraid, you absolutely cannot be afraid. In a world like this, you have to be brave. You have to survive." Clementine deadpanned. Sarah's eyes got big at how serious her tone of voice got, she had never heard her younger friend talk like this. It kind of scared her a little bit, but Sarah knew it was only because Clementine wanted to protect her.

"You'll help me, right?" Sarah asked.

"Of course." Clementine nodded.

"You're the best Clem." Sarah smiled.

"So are you." Clementine replied. It was quiet again between the two girls, but not like an awkward silence, just a comfortable aura around them, just them enjoying each other's company. In the sea of chaos, they were each other's boats, and they depended on each other a lot. Clementine was feeling a bit sleepy, but she knew she had to stay awake until Sarah fell asleep so the oncoming storm wouldn't scare her. As if on cue, a crack of thunder rumbled through the air, and she felt Sarah stiffen at her side. "Hey..." Clementine whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Close your eyes." Clementine ordered.

"Why?" Sarah asked, knitting her dark eyebrows together.

"Just do it, please?" Clem begged.

Sarah giggled, "Okay, but only because I trust you." She said and squeezed her eyes shut tight. Clementine didn't know what came over her at the moment as rain poured outside, and the thunder roared, but she leaned closer and closer to Sarah, and finally kissed her. Their lips brushed against each other's if only for a brief moment, and Sarah's was slightly chapped, but it was a sweet and chaste kiss, and it felt so good. Clementine's stomach was overwhelmed with butterflies, and she guessed Sarah's was too. Her face felt so hot once she pulled away from the older girl, but kissing is what you did when you liked somebody? Wasn't it? After all, Clementine saw her mom and dad kiss all the time, and Kenny and Katjaa, and even Christa and Omid. She wished Lee was still here so she could talk to him about her feelings.

There was an awkward silence between the two, because neither of them knew what to say. "Goodnight Sarah." Clementine whispered, but Sarah was already fast asleep.


	18. 18

The next morning, Clementine was the last one to wake up. Her nostrils were immediately filled with the smell of beans, and she assumed that somebody was cooking breakfast. Her arm reached out, expecting to find Sarah lying still next to her, but the cot like bed was empty and cold. Her golden eyes shot open, and she sat up slowly, feeling a bit groggy because she slept longer than everyone else. Getting lost in her thoughts, Clementine replayed the events that occurred last night, and she gasped. She kissed Sarah! And not like a friendly peck, it was a genuine real kiss, a kiss with emotion put into it. Suddenly, Clem was scared. What if she crept Sarah out? What if she didn't like it? And Clementine really couldn't tell if she reciprocated or not, because it was just a chaste and short kiss.

"Morning Clem." Rebecca said as she walked up the stairs, making Clementine jump. Did Sarah tell anyone about their kiss?

"M-Morning." Clementine replied.

"You must have been real tired if you slept longer than all of us." Rebecca commented. "Walter told me to come wake you up for breakfast. It's ready." She added with a small smile. Clementine mumbled a quick thanks, and got out of bed slowly. She hoped talking to Sarah wouldn't be so awkward since they kissed, and for a moment, Clementine kind of regretted that she even kissed her friend in the first place. Sarah was another girl, was that even okay? In the zombie apocalypse though, anything was possible.

Of course, before all this happened, Clementine's mother and father sort of understood that Clem was different from the other girls. When she came home from school and talked about how pretty the girls were; or when she drew pictures of two girls in love together. They had a small notion that she was gay. Her parents talked to her about it, and tried to explain it the best they could about boys loving boys and girls loving girls. Clem was only eight at the time, but she understood most of it. Her parents also said that she would understand more of it as she got older. Was this what they were talking about?

"Morning Clementine!" Walter smiled as he was readying the bowls of beans for breakfast.

"Good morning." She replied politely. "Where is everyone?" She then asked as she looked around the ski lodge noticing it was a little bare, and very quiet. Alvin and Rebecca were sitting by the fireplace with Sarita, but none of the others were to be found.

"Oh, uh, Kenny, Luke, and Nick are trying to hunt, and Carlos and your little friend Sarah are outside on the patio." Walter then sighed. "Matthew still isn't back yet." He added as he continued to prepare breakfast. Clem noticed he looked rather tired, but he probably sat up most of the night worrying about Matthew, so that was to be expected.

"Do you know when Kenny will be back?" Clementine asked as she sat down at one of the tables.

"Soon probably." Walter commented. "I told them breakfast would be done shortly." He said. Clementine nodded and thanked him while she sat at the table and waited for her breakfast to be served. Albeit she was beginning to feel close to her new group, she felt like talking to Kenny about her crush on Sarah was the best thing to do; after all, he knew her better than anyone else here except for Sarah, but she couldn't really talk to the teen girl about this, that would be silly. Clementine needed to sort out her feelings before she did any confessing, and she felt like Kenny would understand that. Even though she was only eleven, almost turning twelve, she didn't consider herself a kid anymore, and she needed to know these things.

A few moments later, Kenny and the rest of the guys came walking through the door. "Catch anything?" Sarita asked as she stood up from the fireplace to greet her man.

"Not a damn thing." Kenny cursed.

"Maybe next time." Sarita said encouragingly, as she wrapped her arms around Kenny's torso.

"Breakfast is ready!" Walter announced.

"Oh I am starved." Luke said as he sat down at one of the tables.

"I'll go get Carlos and Sarah." Rebecca said and began heading outside. Kenny was about to sit down at the table with everyone else, until he felt Clementine poke him in the side. For some reason, the little girl was feeling a bit shy, but who wouldn't at a situation like this?

"What is it kiddo?" Kenny asked as he looked Clem.

"Can I talk to you alone?" Clementine asked with hesitant eyes. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and frankly, it sounded like a freight train that was about to go off the tracks. "It's really important." She added as she glanced up at the man. Kenny nodded and followed Clementine up the stairs where they could be alone for the moment. They sat down on one of the cot beds, and it was quiet.

"Well, what's on your mind Clem?" Kenny asked, hoping there wasn't anything too wrong with the girl. After all, he loved Clementine, and she was like the daughter that he and Katjaa never had. "You can tell me anything." He smiled. Clementine only nodded, trying to think of how she could put her thoughts into words. It wasn't an easy process.

"We kissed!" She blurted out, not knowing what else to say, but boy it was good to get that weight off of her shoulders. "Well, she didn't kiss me, I kissed her, but I think she liked it and I know I liked it... I don't know what to do Kenny..." Clementine rambled. Oh, she felt so much better though. "I like her so, so, so, much." She was finally admitting it; she had the biggest crush in the world on Sarah, and she finally wanted someone to know.

A smile came to Kenny's lips, "Whoa there Clem, slow down a sec." He said, putting his hands up in mock surrender. "Kissed who?" He asked.

"Sarah." Clementine breathed out.

"That's okay Clementine." Kenny said simply with a shrug and a smile. He obviously didn't look at Clem like a little kid, he looked at her like an adult who could make decisions on her own. But deep down, he still knew that stuff like this confused the hell out of her. In time, she would find out who she was meant to be. "If Sarah makes you happy then go for it." He said with a goofy smile.

Clementine smiled too, things finally becoming clearer. "I will." She said proudly.


	19. 19

Clementine and Kenny headed back downstairs to the breakfast table with big smiles on their faces. Clementine was feeling much more confident about what she did last night, and she needed to talk to Sarah as soon as possible. It seemed as though everyone was sitting and enjoying their breakfast of beans and some fresh water. Luke, Nick, Alvin, Rebecca, Sarita, and Walter were all sitting together and making small talk. Clementine's eyes drifted until they finally landed on Sarah who was sitting with her dad. She still looked the same, like she wasn't affected by the kiss in any way. Clementine was thankful for that as she and Kenny came closer and closer to the tables.

"Well?" Kenny nudged her forward. "What are you waiting for?" He winked, and then went to sit by Sarita. Clementine exhaled sharply, how was she going to do this? Should she just come out with it? Feeling her heartbeat speed up, she walked slowly over to Sarah and Carlos. She saw that a bowl of beans was already waiting for her, and she assumed that Sarah was the one who got it for her. Looking back at Kenny, he gave her a thumbs up, and then she finally sat down.

"Hey." Clementine greeted with a small smile. She was trying so hard not to let her voice shake from the nerves. Could Sarah tell how nervous she was? Hopefully not, because Clem was trying hard with all her might to not let them show. She was trying to be as confident as she could at the moment.

"Hey Clemmy." Sarah replied then took another bite of her beans. Clementine could tell that she was blushing; her cheeks were just a bit pinker than the rest of her skin, but she looked lovely.

"I'll leave you two girls alone..." Carlos said as he stood up with his food, and headed over to the table with all of the adults. Did he know? Clementine assumed that Sarah must have told him something. After all, she actually confided in her dad because he was all she had. Carlos probably knew that they kissed, and he probably gave his daughter some helpful advice in what to do about all of this emotion and confusion. Clementine watched as Carlos got up and walked away, then her golden eyes drifted back to Sarah who was busy staring at the younger girl. Did Carlos have some notion that Sarah was gay as well? Just like Clementine's parents?

"How'd you sleep?" Clementine asked, just trying to break the ice so Sarah wasn't feeling so uncomfortable at the moment. She wanted her to know that it was okay to talk about this stuff, that it was normal.

"Good." Sarah replied, "You took my mind right off of the storm." She laughed a little bit, referring to the unexpected kiss. Okay, so maybe she was comfortable with the whole kiss thing. Maybe Sarah had the same feelings as Clementine? After all, wasn't Sarah the one who initiated all the hand holding, and sleeping in the same bed, and hugging? Maybe her feelings were the same all along.

"Sorry about that." Clementine smiled.

"You don't have to apologize." Sarah said. "I liked it."

"Me too." Clem replied. "That's why I did it." She smiled again.

"Can I be honest with you Clem?" Sarah asked, as her dark eyebrows knitted together. Clementine nodded, curious as to what the older girl had to say. "You make me feel special." Sarah said simply, with a small shrug. "Whenever I'm with you, I feel like I can do anything, and you give me butterflies... Like giant ones that are swooping around in my stomach... Which I think is the best thing in the world." She smiled as she rambled on. Clem smiled too, glad she was feeling this way, and glad that this relationship to be wasn't totally one sided.

"I like you too." Clementine replied simply. She wasn't as good as putting her feelings into words. "And when I kissed you," She continued... "I knew that I had sealed the deal." A smile was still on her full lips as she spoke. This confession was way long overdue, and both of the girls felt amazing right now.

"I'm glad you kissed me." Sarah spoke. "I would have been too shy to do it."

"I like that you're shy." Clementine shrugged.

"I've been talking to my dad about us..." Sarah admitted as he cheeks began to heat up and turn a lush crimson color once again. "And he said it was okay if we were girlfriends... Is that okay with you?" Sarah asked, not even being able to look Clementine in the eyes. She was so cute like this. Girlfriends, Clementine enjoyed that term, and she assumed nothing would really change between the two because were already so close.

"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" Clementine asked with another smile.

"Yes." Sarah breathed out.

"Of course..." Clementine said as a blush rose to her cheeks too. "I'd love that." Sarah smiled and the two girls held hands under the table. It seemed everything was working out for the two. Clementine looked over to where all the adults were sitting, and she saw Kenny giving her a big smile; he was probably proud of her for admitting her feelings. After all, that took some gut. She also saw Carlos watching them carefully, and he smiled a bit too, which was weird because she never saw him smile, like ever.

"I'm happy." Sarah said simply.

"Me too." Clementine agreed.

"So..." Sarah trailed off, "What do girlfriends do exactly?" She asked.

"I don't know." Clementine shrugged.

"Maybe we should ask my dad." The teen girl suggested and Clementine nodded in agreement with her new girlfriend. "Or... We could figure it out." She added, "I'm sure we'll get the hang of it soon." She laughed a little bit.

"I don't think much will change." Clementine admitted honestly.

"I hope not." Sarah replied. "Hey Clem?" She then asked again.

"Yeah?"

"I think I love you." The older girl said as she blushed again.

"I love you too Sarah."


	20. 20

Later that night, a storm was brewing outside. The sky was turning an ugly black color, and the wind was picking up forcefully. Inside the ski lodge though, things were eerily quiet. Walter was busy working on dinner again, but you could tell his mind was elsewhere, Clementine knew he was thinking about Matthew. Alvin and Rebecca were sitting on a loveseat talking quietly with one another, Kenny and Sarita were cleaning up the lodge, Carlos was taking a nap, and Nick and Luke were helping to make sure the windows were boarded down securely for the storm, and for the walkers. As for Clementine and Sarah though, the new couple was by the fireplace, and Clem was letting Sarah brush out her hair and redo her pigtails. "Ouch!" Clementine winced as Sarah pulled the brush through her mane of hair for the umpteenth time.

"Sorry!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Just be careful." Clementine chided.

"But your hair is so tangled." Sarah observed as she pulled the brush through more gently this time. "I'll let you do mine next, okay?" She asked as she continued to brush Clem's hair.

"Deal." Clementine smiled.

"Hey, Clementine, could you help me outside for a moment?" Walter asked as he approached the two girls. Clem nodded and stood up to follow Walter outside the ski lodge. In the back of her mind, she wondered what in the world he could possibly want.

"What did you need my help with?" She asked curiously, as they arrived outside the lodge.

"Oh nothing really, I just wanted to talk." He shrugged. "I couldn't help but to overhear your conversation with Sarah earlier, and it looks like you guys are pretty close now." He said, and Clementine couldn't really tell what he was getting at.

"We've always been that way, we're just girlfriends now." She replied innocently.

"I know Clem." Walter said. "But this is the zombie apocalypse, and you need to prepare yourself in case something happens to Sarah... Are you ready to deal with that kind of emotional loss?" He asked. Clementine scoffed, was he really telling her that Sarah was going to die? Just because he was a teacher he thought he knew everything and Clem was slightly offended at this. "I just really miss Matthew... I'm afraid something might have happened to him." He admitted, and then Clem felt guilty, but it was kind of Walter's fault anyway for letting Matthew go to the bridge alone.

"I won't let anything happen to her." She said bitterly, and made her way back inside. She was about to go join Sarah by the fireplace again, until Luke called her back into the kitchen.

"Clementine." He whispered loudly, catching her attention. "Don't freak out." He said and she walked over to where he was standing in the kitchen. "Listen, okay? I gotta tell you something." He added. "That guy on the bridge was Walter's friend, Matthew." He finished as he pulled a picture of the two from behind his back to show Clementine. "See, I knew something was off so I asked Sarita about him. Now they're all worried he's not back yet."

"I already figured it out." Clem whispered. "Where's Nick?"

"I don't know."

"We have to tell Walter... He's been worried sick!" Clem argued.

"Do you still have that knife of Matthew's that you found? Because if Walter sees it, he'll know, and I don't think he should find out that way." Luke said.

"It's over there with our stuff." Clementine replied.

"Well go get it and get rid of it, and I'll try to find Nick." Luke said, conjuring up a plan. But speaking of Nick, he approached the two members of his group.

"I'm right here." Nick said. "What's up?" He asked and Clementine wasted no time in telling Nick the truth about Matthew.

"You killed Walter's friend." She deadpanned, showing him the picture.

"Oh shit." Nick said as he stared wide eyed at the picture. "Oh God... What the hell am I gonna do?" He asked.

"Hey Nick, shut the fuck up." Luke whispered.

"I can't man, I can't..."

"Do not fucking blow it!" Luke warned.

"Blow it?" Nick asked incredulously. "It's over man, I have to tell him Luke, jeez."

"You should tell him." Clementine agreed. After all, this would be the right thing to do in the long run. Hopefully Walter would be able to forgive and forget that all this ever happened.

"Look Clem, just go do that thing." Luke ordered as he and Nick walked away from the girl. Clementine nodded, and did as she was told, then made her way over to the bench in front of the door that held all the group's belongings. She searched and searched for the knife, only to realize that it wasn't there. Her golden eyes then drifted to the door where she saw Walter outside twirling the knife in his hands. She made her way outside slowly, being sure not to startle the balding man.

"Put the knife down..." Clementine spoke slowly as she stood behind him.

"I always liked this knife." Walter said calmly as he pulled the knife out of its case. "Gave it to Matthew when all of this started." He added, then sighed. "I know he's dead... It's been two days." He finished.

"I'm sorry-" Clementine tried to speak but was interrupted.

"Who was it? Was it that kid? Nick?" Walter asked, his voice becoming more harsh.

"It was..." Clementine admitted honestly. It was quiet between the two for a moment, and Walter really didn't know what else to say. "Nick shot him."

"Is Nick a good man?" Walter asked.

"He's a good guy Walter." Clem answered with a nod. "He saved my life." Just then, Nick decided to make his way outside. His eyes immediately went wide as he saw Walter standing there with the knife. "You need to tell him Nick, tell him what happened on the bridge." Clementine said, and Walter turned around to face the two younger people.

"Just tell me what happened..." Walter said, on the verge of tears now.

"I thought he was going to shoot my friends..." Nick trailed off, looking down and feeling like crap. "I shot him, but I didn't mean to." He admitted. "I'm so sorry Walter, I'm sorry..." Nick apologized over and over again, but Walter never said anything. Was that a good thing? Did that mean that things were going to be okay?

"Let's just go eat dinner..." Walter said, and made his way back inside with Nick and Clem following behind him.


	21. 21

"You were gone for a really long time." Sarah said once Clementine was finally able to get back inside. "Rebecca said dinner was ready." She added as she and Clem began to walk over to the tables that were set up. A crack of thunder rumbled in the background as everyone sat down to eat some more peaches and beans. This time, instead of sitting by themselves, Clem and Sarah decided to sit at the big table with everyone else. "Hi dad." Sarah greeted as she sat down by Carlos. "Did you have a nice nap?" She asked as she picked up a spoonful of beans.

"I did." He smiled down at his daughter.

"Clementine's gonna do my hair later!" Sarah exclaimed as she took a bite of food.

"Sounds like fun sweetie." Carlos chuckled lightly. He knew ever since Clementine came to their cabin in the woods, Sarah had been a happier person. He was thankful for the little girl if he wanted to be honest with himself. And deep down he knew that if anything ever happened to him, Clementine would always be there to look out for his little girl. Albeit they didn't start off on good terms, he knew she was a good person just trying to survive out here like the rest of them.

"Maybe I can find some more hair ties and do your hair like mine." Clementine suggested as she too began to eat her beans. "I think pigtails would suit you." She nods. "My friend Lee put my hair up like this, he told me it would keep me safe." Clementine added, letting out a little bit of her past.

"I packed some hair ties with us!" Sarah said with a smile. "Now we can both be safe."

"Cool!" Clementine smiled.

"Hey Walter, these beans taste different." Rebecca said as she took her first bite.

"Oh, yeah, Sarita found some salt so I thought I'd spruce up dinner a little bit." He replied with a weak smile. Clementine knew he was probably grieving so badly on the inside, after all, she had lost so many people, death didn't even seem like a real thing anymore. But maybe Walter didn't know how to deal with loss, so she was going to try and be as supportive as she could. "I hope they still taste okay." He added sheepishly.

"They taste great!" Kenny chimed in.

After dinner, it wasn't too late so everyone pretty much went back to doing their own things. Nick, Sarita, and Kenny went to bed early, Alvin and Rebecca were helping clean up after dinner, Luke was relaxing, Walter was reading one of his many books, and Clementine and Sarah were back in there space by the fireplace while Carlos watched over them as he read some old newspaper. "I'll try to be careful." Clementine said as she brushed through Sarah's hair gently. Surprisingly, her hair wasn't that tangled up. "Your hair is soft." She commented, and it was quiet between the two girls as Clem raked the brush through the teens hair.

"Hey Clem?" Sarah asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Who's Lee?" She asked, and Clementine froze up. Nobody had really asked about him directly like that, and she hadn't really told anyone her story except for Luke, but she was vague about the details. Why was it so hard to talk about Lee after all this time? Was it because she hadn't grieved over him properly? Or was it just because she loved him so much?

"Sarah..." Carlos interrupted. "I don't think Clem wants to talk about that."

"Oh..." Sarah said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "I'm sorry Clem, I didn't know."

"No it's okay." Clementine replied. "Maybe I'll feel better if I do talk about it." She added as she continued to pull the brush through Sarah's silky hair. "Lee was this man who took care of me after my parents died... He found me in my tree house, and I was a little shy around him at first, but we grew to be a team. He did everything to make sure I was safe, and taught me how to survive, but he's gone now..." She trailed off.

"So he was like your dad?" Sarah asked.

Clementine nodded, "Kind of."

"That must be awful to lose so many people..." Sarah whispered. "I can't even imagine it." Clementine didn't say anything else with Carlos sitting there. Albeit he didn't know that Clementine did give Sarah information about the apocalypse, she didn't want to say anything too horrible that would scar her, or that would make Carlos angry. As far as he knew, Sarah was still oblivious to the end of the world and the walkers. And in a way she was, but only because she hadn't seen anything too horrific yet, but that time would come, and then she would see just how horrible the world was. Clementine wanted to prolong that moment for as long as possible, but she also wanted Sarah to know the basics so she could protect herself.

"Do you have the hair ties?" Clementine asked as she was just about finished with Sarah's new hair do.

"Right here!" Sarah said, and gave them to Clem. The younger girl then concentrated for a moment as she tied the bands around Sarah's new pigtails, until finally, they were put in place nicely. "How does it look?" Sarah asked as she touched the two pigtails hanging off the back of her head gently. Hers were a little bit longer than Clem's because her hair was longer, and her bangs hung down as well, but the two girls generally had the same hairstyle.

"I like it." Carlos nodded in approval.

"Me too." Clem added. "I think there's some mirrors in the bathroom." She said and ran off to get one. She came back a moment later with a small mirror in her hands. "It's kind of dirty, but you can still see out of it." She said as she gave it to Sarah. "Have a look."

"Oh Clem, I love it!" Sarah said as she studied herself in the mirror. "Thank you so much!" She said as she pulled the smaller girl in for a hug.

"I'm glad you like it so much." Clementine smiled as she hugged Sarah back.

"Alright girls." Carlos interrupted. "It's getting late, time for bed." He ordered and the two girls headed upstairs to their cot beds and went directly to sleep in each other's arms.


	22. 22

There were gunshots in the woods outside the ski lodge; that was the first thing Clementine heard when she woke up the next morning, and immediately, she knew something was wrong. "Everyone, get up!" She said as the rest of her friends in the ski lodge woke up. It was still pretty early in the morning, and most of them were very tired. "Do you hear that noise?" Clem asked as the gunshots rang out again.

Carlos was the first one to answer, "Clem, watch Sarah, we're going outside." He said as he, Luke, Nick, Walter, Sarita and Kenny made their way outside the ski lodge. So much for being safe, Clementine thought as she got up out of her bed. Alvin and Rebecca stayed inside to keep and eye out for the kids.

"Sarah," She said as she shook the older girl's shoulder. "We have to get up."

"What's going on?" Sarah asked as she stirred and sat up.

"Something's wrong." Clementine deadpanned.

"It's Carver." Rebecca said, looking out the window. "Shit, he's found us." She added as she slumped down. "We've got to hide, but he's got everyone outside trapped." She observed as she looked and saw that Carver's whole gang had their whole group nearly surrounded. Clementine, Sarah, and Alvin also looked out the window too, just in time to see Carlos being punched by Carver.

"Dad!" The teen girl yelled and took off down the stairs.

"Sarah!" Clementine yelled, debating whether she should go after her girlfriend or not. As she looked out the window, she noticed Luke and Kenny were nowhere to be found. Were they hiding somewhere? Did they sense the danger? Clementine continued watching, and she saw Sarah run into her dad's arms, he'd keep her safe.

"Inside." Carver ordered. Clementine saw the group coming in, so she, Alvin and Rebecca decided to hide somewhere safe. Meanwhile, Carver's gang was busy tying up the rest of the survivors: Carlos, Sarah, Walter, Nick, and Sarita, while Kenny and Luke were still nowhere to be found. In her mind, Clementine was beginning to panic. How were they going to get out of this one? Carver had better guns, more people, there was no way they'd be able to fight them without losing. "Where are the others?" Carver asked, "I know there's more..." He trailed off, but received no answer. "Oh, so nobody wants to talk?" He questioned as he walked over and grabbed Carlos by the hair, pulling him to the middle of the floor. Sarah gasped at the sight of her dad being handled like that. Just then, another punch was delivered to Carlos.

"Dad!" Sarah yelled again, but she was useless with her hands tied behind her back.

"Where's Rebecca?" Carver asked as he looked down at Carlos who was kneeling over in pain.

"Sarah!" Carlos said as he stared wide eyed at his daughter, "Look at me, everything's going to be okay-" He tried to say but was interrupted when Carver grabbed his hand and pulled his fingers back. You could hear the bone crack as he snapped them farther and farther.

"Rebecca, our baby deserves to be raised in a place of safety!" Carver bellowed out, causing Rebecca to flinch. Did he really believe that the baby was his? But who knew, it actually could be his if Clementine was being realistic. Maybe Bec and Carver did have something going on long ago. "I know you're out there." He continued as he let go of Carlos' fingers. "And Alvin, and Luke, and the girl." Carver said, so he must have known Pete was dead, he probably saw the body.

"Don't hurt my dad, please!" Sarah was crying by now, unable to control her sobs, and Clementine knew that she was going to have to come up with a plan, and quick.

"He'll kill him." Alvin whispered to Clem and Rebecca in their hiding place.

"No Alvin." Bec whispered in reply.

"We gotta go down there."

"I can't do that." Rebecca shook her head.

"Bec, the baby... You need a doctor." Alvin said, referring to Carlos.

"Where's Luke and Kenny?" Bec asked, bringing up a good point. "They're still outside, they can help us." She added.

"We have to help Carlos." Clementine demanded, after all, if something did happen to him, she didn't want to see Sarah go through that kind of pain and emotional loss. Clem didn't think she was mentally ready for all of that stuff.

"Only way to help is to do what the man says." Alvin said, beginning to get angry.

"What about Luke and Kenny?" Rebecca said, becoming more distressed by the second. Just then another crack was heard throughout the lodge, followed by Sarah's screams. They all knew that Carver wasn't going to stop anytime soon, he was ruthless, and evil.

"We're going down there." Alvin ordered.

"He'll kill you." Rebecca said gently.

"Fuck you... Shoot him!" Carlos yelled. "Somebody just shoot him!" He was interrupted once again as a knife was being held to his throat.

"Dad!"

"He's gonne kill him!" Clementine exclaimed. "We have to give up Rebecca." A sad look filled her eyes and she finally stood up, ready to save her friends, and to give up.

"Bill stop!" Rebecca yelled as she, Clementine, and Alvin made their way downstairs.

"Please!" Walter said as the remaining people were being tied up. "You don't want to do this to these people." He tried to reason, but got no answer. Clementine tried to calm Sarah down, but it was to no avail, her anxiety was getting the best of her, and she was scared.

"Clem..." Carlos whispered. "Can you reach my hands?" He asked.

"Shh..." Clem ordered. "Luke and Kenny are out there." Suddenly, a gunshot was fired and made its way through the window, killing one of Carver's men. It was either Luke or Kenny, Clementine wasn't sure. Without warning, Carver then picked up Walter, dragging him front and center, and shot him in the head. "Sarah, don't look!" Clem said, but it was too late, the teen girl had seen everything.

"That's for our man!" Carver yelled out the broken window. "Now, if you don't show yourself, all your friends here are going to die." Carver yelled, and walked over to Alvin, holding a gun to his head. The ski lodge doors then opened, and Kenny walked in with his hands up in surrender. They tied him up too, and put him with the rest of the gang. "Where's Luke?" Carver then demanded. "Finally cut and run, huh? Doesn't surprise me. I warned you not to follow him, and look where he's led you." He rambled on. "Alright, round 'em up, we're heading back to camp." And one by one they walked out the door, and into the back of a truck.


	23. 23

Clementine didn't know how long they were driving, it could have been hours, days, weeks? She didn't know, and she didn't care. They stopped sometimes, but that was only to use the bathroom if they had to. Since Carver had found them, Clem observed that Sarah wasn't the same. She didn't know if she was just scared, or shaken up, but Clem just didn't know what to do. "Thanks for coming with me." Sarah said, pulling Clementine out of her thoughts. The truck had stopped again, and Sarah had to go to the bathroom, Clem offered to come with her. "It's scary out here." Sarah continued.

"Hey Sarah..." Clementine said with hesitation.

"Yeah?" The older girl asked.

"Are you okay?" Clem asked her girlfriend. After all, the two hadn't really gotten to talk much since Carver found them, and when they did get to talk, their conversations were nearly monitored. "I mean... With the whole thing back at the lodge." She explained further.

Sarah shrugged, "There are bad people in the world Clem, I know that." She started. "But I'm trying to be strong. I want to survive, like you said." She explained, and Clementine couldn't help but to smile a bit. At least she had inspired Sarah to learn to protect herself and become strong.

Clementine nodded, "Okay... I was just making sure. You know I want you to stay safe." She said as she grabbed Sarah's hand. "And if you ever need to talk about anything, you can always come to me no matter what. It's not good to hold in your feelings, trust me." The smaller girl continued.

"Thanks Clemmy." Sarah smiled, and the two girls made their way back to the truck with their hands still intertwined together.

"You 'bout done over there?" One of Carver's guards yelled, but the girls were pretty sure his name was Troy. He watched as they continued their conversation.

"Yeah, one second." Sarah replied, then bent down to kiss Clementine on the forehead. They hadn't really had the chance to be affectionate towards each other as of late because of everything that had been going on. So Sarah was trying to do as much as she could. Clem smiled as she felt Sarah's warm lips come in contact with her skin, it felt nice. "We should head back now." Sarah said and the two girls made their way back to the truck.

"Troy, get 'em tied up." Carver ordered once the two girls made it back.

"Will do." Troy replied. Sarah and Clem each got their hands bounded back up, and were forced back into the truck. It was hard climbing in with their hands tied together, but they seemed to manage just fine.

"Are you guys okay?" Sarita asked once the girls were back in.

"The hell did he do to you? Did he hurt you?" Kenny asked. "Hey!" He yelled towards Troy, who was now closing the truck door.

"We're fine." Clementine reassured. "We just went to the bathroom."

"Yeah." Sarah chimed in. "Clem didn't let anything happen to me." She smiled slightly. It was quiet then, on the ride back to the camp, the only sounds were the truck bumping along the road, and some small conversation between some of the survivors. "I hope Luke's okay..." Sarah trailed off in the silence.

"He'll probably help us." Rebecca replied, "At least I hope he will." The truck then came to a complete stop, and Clementine assumed that they had arrived at the camp already. The truck door slid open quickly, and they were met with Troy, a redhead named Bonnie, and a dark woman whose name was Tavia.

"All right, up and at 'em." Tavia ordered and the group stood up and made their way out of the truck. They marched along into the camp, which was located in some old hardware store, as Carver rambled on the loudspeaker about betrayal and forgiveness, and whatever else he felt the need to go on about. Clementine looked around the camp and observed as they walked to wherever they were going. This camp didn't look like a camp at all, and that really scared her. Hopefully they would find a way to get out of here, that way they didn't have to stay for too lone. If Carlos' group could do it once, they could do it again, right?

"Come on..." Troy said, motioning to Carlos. "We need you for something."

"Can't it wait until morning?" Carlos asked. "We're all exhausted."

"Just come the fuck on." Troy ordered and he and Carlos walked in a different direction than the rest of the group. Sarah's dark eyes went wide at the sight of her dad being taken somewhere else.

"I need him." She said. "I need my dad. I can't... He's... He looks after me." Sarah said, but the group didn't stop, they only kept walking.

"He'll be back." Clementine said, trying to comfort the teen.

"When?"

"I don't know..." Clementine trailed off. "But he will be back."

"Thanks Clem." Sarah said with a nod. They finally arrived to their designated location, which was something similar to a prison yard. There was a fence enclosing the place so they couldn't get out, and beds were on the floor.

"Y'all better get some rest." Troy said. "You're gonna be working hard tomorrow." The guards then left, and the group was left alone with the other's in the yard. There was a man with one arm called Reggie, who knew the group before they left. There was a dark man named Mike, and a really quiet girl named Jane.

"Reggie helped us, when we ran away." Sarah explained to Clementine as the two girls stood there unsure of what to be doing at the moment.

"Do you trust him?" Clementine asked.

Sarah shrugged, "I'm not sure."

"Alvin, Carver wants you in his office." Tavia came out of nowhere and ordered.

"What? Why?" Alvin asked.

"Don't make this difficult." Tavia ordered. Alvin nodded, then said his goodbyes to the rest of the group, and followed Tavia upstairs to Carver's office. Rebecca hoped and prayed that Carver wouldn't do anything to her husband. The group continued to talk for a minute until Sarah pulled Clementine to the side.

"I'm tired Clem... Will you come to bed with me?" Sarah asked and Clem nodded. The beds were like bunk beds, kind of, only they weren't as comfortable. Sarah didn't want to sleep on the top, so she and Clementine found a bed on the floor and laid down.

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, okay Sarah?" Clementine said as she and Sarah faced each other. "I promised your dad that I would protect you." And Clementine always kept her promises. As the two girls began to drift off to sleep, Clem began to think of a plan, she did not want to stay here, because this place was not safe, and it was definitely not her home.


	24. 24

The sun was barely risen when Clementine opened her eyes. It took her a moment to even remember where she was, and a sigh escaped her lips when she realized that she was at the camp, and not the ski lodge. God, she was so tired and stiff. Did she even sleep at all last night? She sat up slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the flooding daylight, and stretched her very sore muscles. "Crap..." She heard Sarah mutter, who was already sitting up beside her, messing with her hair.

"What's wrong?" Clementine asked with a hoarse voice; her throat felt very scratchy.

"My pigtails fell out." Sarah pouted, "I can't fix them." Her hair was a mess, sticking up every which way, and Clementine couldn't help but to stifle a laugh. She had never seen Sarah with bed head before. "Can you help me?" Sarah asked as she turned so Clem could reach her hair. Clem only nodded, and began gathering fistfuls of hair to put back in the pigtails. "Thanks Clementine." Sarah smiled.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?" Troy asked as he approached the two girls sitting on the ground. "This ain't the fucking beauty shop." He added as he pointed his rifle down to the girls. Really? He had to point a gun at them?

"I was just-" Clementine tried to explain but Troy cut her off rudely.

"I don't give a shit!" He exclaimed with a yell, causing the girls to flinch. "Now get the hell up, Bill's gonna have a word." He ordered as he marched the girls over to where everyone else was standing. Sarita, Carlos, Reggie, and Rebecca stood in front of Carver as Clem and Sarah made their way over to them. Alvin was presumably still in Carver's office, and Clementine assumed that Nick, Kenny, Mike, and Jane were already working. Luke was still gone.

"Dad!" Sarah said with a smile as she saw her father standing there. She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I missed you last night." She told him with a smile.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" He asked as he patted her head.

She nodded, "Clem looked after me last night."

Carlos smiled, "Good." The group then quieted down as they listened to Carver ramble on about some herd of walkers, or lurkers, that were making its way closer to the camp. He then rambled on about loyalty, and a bunch of other crap, but Clementine really wasn't listening to any of that.

"That Troy is a meanie." Sarah whispered to Clementine. "I don't know why he had to point his gun at us." She continued on.

"I don't like him either." Clementine agreed.

"How'd you sleep?" Sarah asked as Carver continued to talk about how they would all be doing hard labor. "I was so tired." She rambled on, and Clem noticed that Carver was practically giving them the death look right now.

"We'll talk later, okay?" Clem whispered. "Now's not the time."

"Okay yeah." Sarah nods. "Sounds good." Both the girls go back to listening to Carver... God, Clementine hated him so much already. He was just so annoying, and evil, and everything had to go his way. Sarah then spoke again, pulling the younger girl out of her thoughts. "I just thought it was nice to finally-" And then Carver interrupted her.

"Carlos!" He yelled with that scruffy voice of his, and both Sarah and Clementine went wide eyed. A gasp could be heard from Sarah.

Carlos looked down, afraid of what was coming next, "Yes?" He asked, and this was the first time that Clem noticed how bruised and beat up his face was. Both of his eyes were almost black, and his fingers were in splints from where Carver had broken them at the lodge. He looked like crap, and Clem felt honestly bad for the man, because ultimately, he was just trying to protect his group; his family.

"Your child, or children rather..." Caver spoke referring to Clementine, "Seem to be in need of correction." He smirked, knowing that he was going to get his way every time.

"I'm sorry, sir..." Carlos replied, and you could tell by the tone of his voice that he was honestly scared. "Sarah, C-Clem, say sorry to Mr. Carver." He ordered as he turned to look at the two younger girls. His dark eyes were apologetic, yet scared too, and Clementine knew that they better just do what he say.

"We're sorry sir." Sarah said, looking down and playing with her hands; she was scared too.

"Nope." Carver replied almost immediately. "That shit ain't gonna cut it. You need to discipline them properly, Carlos." He ordered as he crossed his arms in defiance.

"How do you propose I do that, sir?" Carlos asked, not really sure what the man was getting at.

Carver chuckled, "One good smack across the mouth should do it. Then they'll learn not to fucking interrupt when the adults are talking." He ordered. "And you better do it too, not some little love tap either, a good hard smack, and if you don't follow through, I'm sure Troy here will." Carver said, approaching Sarah's dad. Rebecca and Reggie were wide eyed because they knew that Carlos was not going to smack his little girl, or Clementine either. He wasn't like that.

"Please, don't!" Clementine retorted. "We're already scared."

"I'm sorry, dad, I'm so sorry..." Sarah said, on the verge of tears already.

Clementine stepped forward, "I'll go first..." She said voluntarily. "Do what you gotta do Carlos." She added. "Just make it quick." She inhaled a breath, and just held it in for as long as she could... Then squeezed her eyes shut tight. She heard from Lee that holding your breath helps with the pain.

"I'm sorry Clem." Carlos muttered, and brought his hand down to smack the younger girl. Clementine felt the sting on her cheek as she fell to the ground. She wasn't going to lie, it did hurt pretty bad as her golden eyes stung with tears. She definitely did not want to sit here and watch Sarah get slapped either. "Close your eyes honey, it's only going to hurt for a second." He said as he approached Sarah. She did as she was told, and closed her eyes tight.

"Do it already." Carver ordered, and Carlos obliged as he smacked Sarah across the face. She fell to the ground too, as the sound of the slap echoed throughout the air. She was already crying as she held her cheek in pain. Clementine wanted to reach out and comfort her, but she knew that it wasn't appropriate at the time. Carlos also tried to help her up, but Carver stopped him. "Stop! Let her sit there and think about what she's done. It's time to get to work." Clementine looked over at Sarah with pleading eyes, and she hoped that they had work together today so they could talk.


	25. 25

Clementine didn't know where Tavia was taking her, but she followed anyway, not wanting to get a repeat of this morning. Her cheek was swollen and red, and she guessed that Sarah's was worse because she had a lighter skin tone; it would probably bruise easily. "Follow me, come on." Tavia ordered as she took Clementine up to the roof of the camp. She marched her into the greenhouse, "Stay right here, I've got to go get Reggie." Tavia ordered then walked off. Clementine nodded, going to follow the rules for now. She took a few minutes to look around the greenhouse, and that's when she heard Sarah's soft sniffles and cries coming from an area of the greenhouse. Clementine looked and saw her sitting up against the wall, knees to chest, and gently rocking herself.

"Sarah?" Her voice was soft, afraid she was going to scare her girlfriend. She approached the older girl carefully, "Hey..." Clem sat down beside Sarah, crossing her legs. "Are you okay?" She asked, eyeing the red mark on her cheek. It was worse than her own, the skin almost blistering red. "Can I?" Clem asked, raising her hand almost touching Sarah's cheek. She received no answer as Sarah stayed silent, so she ran her fingers across the hot flesh gently, careful not to hurt the teen girl. "Sarah, you've got to talk to me." Clementine pleaded, her golden eyes meeting Sarah's dark ones.

"I'm sorry I got you in trouble Clem..." Sarah sniffled, "I never meant for any of that to happen."

"Shh..." Clementine said in a whisper. "That wasn't your fault, that was all on Carver."

"I hate him." Sarah muttered bitterly.

"I know." Clementine said with a nod. "But we're gonna get out of here soon, I promise."

"My dad's never hit me before." Sarah explained. "Not even when I was really bad... And I don't know why he had to hit you too." She kept saying. "I don't know why people have to be so mean... Even when I'm really mad I still don't want to hurt anyone." Sarah wiped her tears away and leaned her head on Clem's shoulder.

"That's because you're good Sarah." Clementine replied. "And I love that about you."

"Thanks Clemmy..." Sarah smiled. "So, how's your cheek? I bet it hurts."

"It's not too bad." Clementine answered. "Yours looks worse than mine."

"It still stings." The teen girl said, rubbing her cheek gently. "But it'll probably be worse tomorrow." She added with a shrug. Just then, Reggie made his way through the greenhouse doors, and the two girls stood up.

"All right girls, let's get to work, I'll show you what to do." Reggie said as he led the girls over to a table with some plants on it. If she was being honest with herself, Clementine felt bad for Reggie; he was just manipulated by Carver, when in all actuality, he was probably just being used. "Pick up a pair of those shears." He instructed, and Clementine and Sarah both obliged. He then showed them how to pick the berries off the plant, and cut the dead branches off. It seemed easy enough, but Clementine already knew that she'd have to help Sarah because the teen girl had a harder time with doing simple tasks. "You girls get busy, and I'll be back to check on you." Reggie said and left.

"Clem...?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah?" She replied as she began cutting some dead branches.

"Can you help me? It's just... I don't want to mess up." Sarah explained.

Clementine nodded, "Yeah, just watch me. It's really easy." She said and began picking berries and cutting off the dead branches. The teen girl watched, and soon caught on. She began working, but she was working at a much slower pace than Clem. They worked for what seemed like twenty minutes, and that's when they spotted Carver coming up on the roof to check on them.

"Oh no..." Sarah gasped.

"Shit..." They heard Reggie mutter.

"Just checking in." Carver said with a smirk as he entered the greenhouse. "Seeing how the new girls are working out." He said looking around. He noticed that a lot of the plants weren't done yet, and he became angry. "What the fuck happened in here, Reggie?" Carver demanded and began to raise his voice. Clementine could feel Sarah shaking beside her.

"It's just, they're new... And I only have one arm-" Reggie was cut off.

"It's my fault!" Clementine said. "I had to help Sarah."

"Nah, this ain't your fault." Carver retorted. "Why don't you girls wait outside? Reggie and I have a few things to talk about." Carver ordered, and Clem and Sarah obliged and both made their way outside the greenhouse. They stood out there for a few moments, until the greenhouse door sprung open, and Reggie ran out, screaming and begging for Carver to stop, until finally, he fell off the roof to his death. Sarah couldn't even believe what she just saw, and Clementine didn't know what to tell her to make it better. "You girls head downstairs, Bonnie's got some stuff for you to do." Carver said nonchalantly.

"Here." Bonnie said as she gave Clem a bucket full of supplies. "They want you to run supplies to the guys working outside... Sarah's gonna stay here and help me with other stuff, okay?" Bonnie ordered, but Clementine and Sarah said nothing. "Are y'all okay?" She asked.

"Carver killed Reggie." Sarah said plainly.

"Maybe it was just an accident..." Bonnie trailed off.

"He pushed him off the roof." Clementine commented.

"Okay, Clem, just take that stuff outside and come right back. Sarah, come with me, I need to go find out what happened." Bonnie said and she and Sarah walked off. Clementine did what she was told, and headed outside. She found Kenny and Mike shortly, dropping off the supplies, and then headed back like she was told. She really just wanted to get back to Sarah, and make sure she was okay, but she knew that would have to wait until later tonight. Suddenly, as she was walking back, she felt someone grab her, and pull her into a room. Whoever it was though, Clementine bit their hand.

"Ow! Stop! It's me!" Said a familiar voice.

"Luke!" Clem exclaimed as she turned around to face her friend. "We were all worried about you..."

"Listen, we ain't got much time..." He explained. "There's a herd of lurkers, just south of us, bigger than anything I ever seen. It's gonna hit this place, now I don't know when, but it's gonna be soon. I'm trying to get y'all out of here, but it's hard. We just need a plan. Listen Clem, just meet me here tomorrow, and we'll talk again... I don't want you to get in trouble, and by the looks of it, you already have." He said, referring to her red cheek. "But I think, if you get one of them radios, I'll be able to figure out where the guards are at, then I can get y'all out of here."

"I'll get you one." Clementine agreed.


	26. 26

After talking with Luke, Clementine went back inside, only to be pulled away again. "Bill wants a word with you up in his office." Tavia said, leading her up there. She had never spoken to him alone before, so this was all very new to Clem. Why in the world would Carver want to talk to her? She didn't care, she was just glad that she had some good news about Luke to tell everyone tonight. They all needed some hope. They all desperately wanted the hell out of this place, and maybe now they'd be able to make their escape.

On her way to the office, Clementine ran into Rebecca, who was sobbing. "Rebecca?" Clem exclaimed as the two girls passed each other, but Bec didn't hear her and kept walking. Did Carver do something to her? What the heck was wrong with this guy?

"She's a strong woman, surrounded by weak men." Carver said as he walked out of his office. "I ain't letting my kid be raised around that." He crosses his arms, as in emphasis of what he's saying. "Get in here." He ordered. Clementine nods and makes her way into the office, but as she walked in, something caught her eye.

"Alvin!" She almost yells as she looks over at the man who helped her. He was tied up in a chair, beaten, bloody, and bruised up. Clementine thought that he might have been dead. "Alvin!" She said as she approached.

"He passed out hours ago." Carver said as he followed behind Clem. "He can't hear nothing."

"You're a bully." Clementine says bitterly.

"Come again?"

"You're just a bully." She repeated. "I know it wasn't a fair fight."

"Yeah, I suppose it wasn't." The man replied. "But life ain't fair most of the time so you better get over it. And I wouldn't be so concerned about him if I were you, you need to worry about yourself, acting all tough and shit." He motioned for her to sit down at his desk, and she obliged, feeling scared by his tone of voice. He was so intimidating, and she hated it.

"You're a murderer..." Clementine said. "You can try and call it something else, but I know what it is. What it really is." She continued to talk while Carver gave her snake eyes.

"Listen Clementine..." Carver began, "You're awfully close with that other girl... What's her name? Sarah? Yeah, Sarah. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to her because of your actions around here." He smirked as he sat on top of his desk, crossing his arms. Clementine's eyes went wide, he couldn't possibly know, could he? "Hm, that's what I thought." So he did know, and he was planning to use it against Clementine. This guy was something else, and Clementine hated him for it.

"Don't take it out on her... She doesn't know any better as it is." Clem said.

"Well then, you'd better straighten up your behavior, don't you think?" He retorted, but Clementine said nothing. "Go on and head back to the yard, supper's almost ready." He said and she jumped up at the sound, and made her way back to the yard, hoping to see Sarah there too. In her mind, Clem knew that Carver wasn't bluffing either. Sarah could be considered weak, and Carver would take her out the first chance he got. It was in that moment that Clem knew that she had to teach Sarah how to protect herself; at least a little bit so she could stay safe.

When she got back to the yard, it was already dark out. Had the day went by that quick? The survivors were sitting around the fire talking about a plan to get out of here. Kenny and Rebecca were arguing about what plan to take, and Clem figured out that they knew about Luke. He had talked to all of the group members today. There was talk about turning on the PA system to draw walkers to the camp, and then there was talk about getting Luke the radio. It seemed like the group was always split in half on situations like this. "That's your problem." Rebecca said directed towards Kenny. "You don't think things through. If your plan is to stroll through a herd of walkers, you know it's not going to fucking work." She said.

"Actually," Jane chimed in. "I do it all the time."

"First words I ever hear you say and it's some crazy stupid shit." Mike said.

"What do you mean exactly?" Sarita asked Jane.

"When you cover yourself in their smell, they can't notice you." She explained.

"Lee figured that out..." Clementine said.

"All right!" Kenny said, standing up. "Let's find a way to get that radio."

"Clementine..." Sarah said, catching the younger girl's attention. "Will you come to bed with me?" She asked, and Clem debated whether she should help her group, or spend time with Sarah. "Please?" Sarah asked.

"You go ahead Clem." Kenny said. "We can do this."

"Are you sure?" Clementine asked.

Kenny nodded, "We'll wake you up in the morning." Sarah and Clem then stood up, and went to their usual spot on the ground, it was colder tonight they both noticed, and Clementine still had Carver's words haunting her in the back of her mind. She didn't want anything to happen to Sarah, she wanted her girlfriend to stay safe at all costs.

"Hey Sarah?" Clementine asked.

"Hm?" The girl replied as they got into bed together and got situated.

"When we get out of here, I'm going to teach you how to use a gun properly, and I'm going to teach you other stuff to survive too." Clem said. "I don't care what your dad says anymore, you need to know how to protect yourself just in case something happens."

"Okay." Sarah nodded, and she must have been tired from the day's events, because she was out like a light in just a few short moments. Clementine decided that she'd better get some sleep too, if they were leaving tomorrow, she wanted to be rested up so she could be as much help as possible. Hopefully her friends would be able to get the radio for Luke, then tomorrow, the rest of their plan would work out smoothly.


	27. 27

The next morning, it was time to carry out the plan. Since the group got the radios the night before, Mike was going to be the one to deliver it to Luke since he was working outside a lot. But once the plan was put into motion, it didn't go as well as they thought. When Mike went to give Luke the radio, he was nowhere to be found. That was a bad sign right there, so, everyone was sent back to the yard. Alvin was still in Carver's office, but except for him, they were all in trouble when they saw Luke in the middle of the yard, face to face with Carver.

"And how is it that we're repaid for our trust?" Carver asked. "With treachery, with deceit? Whatever you were planning, it's over now." Carver said, holding up the radio. "I'm gonna count to three, and if that other radio ain't in my hand, we're gonna have some problems." He began to count, and Clementine didn't know if Mike was going to give up the radio or not.

"I've got it right here!" Kenny said as he held up the other radio. Clementine sighed of relief, but when did Kenny get the radio? He must have taken it back from Mike earlier. Kenny walked up and handed the radio to Carver. "Sorry, didn't know what I was thinking." Kenny said, and dropped the radio in Bill's hand. "Heh, fucker." He muttered. Without warning, Carver began to hit Kenny in the head with the radio. He fell to the ground, and Carver continued to relentlessly beat Kenny up.

"No!" Sarita yelled, lunging toward her man. "Stop him! Somebody stop him!"

"Sarita!" Carlos said, restraining the foreign woman.

"Clementine, help me!"

Clementine ran, and tried to help Kenny, but only ended up getting punched by Troy, "You little shit." He said, knocking her to the ground.

"Bill!" Bonnie yelled, coming into the yard. "That's enough!" She said, as Carver got in one more hit, then stopped.

"Bonnie, you stay here, make sure these folks don't get into anymore trouble." Carver ordered and left the yard. Once they were all alone, Carlos began to work on Kenny, making sure he wasn't dead.

"Do your best with him Carlos," Bonnie said. "Because we're leaving tonight."

"Clemmy!" Sarah yelled and ran towards her girlfriend, and that was the only thing Clementine remembered before she blacked out. Clementine woke a few hours later, and it was nearly dark out. How long had she been out? "Clementine, are you okay?" Sarah asked as soon as the younger girl opened her eyes. It was then she realized that Sarah had stayed by her side the whole time.

"My head hurts." Clem said, her voice thick with sleep.

"Dad's working on Kenny..." Sarah explained and looked over to where Kenny was laying. "It doesn't look so good."

"We've got to get out of here." Clementine said.

"They're working on that too... Bonnie's going to help us." The teen explained. "You just get some rest okay? We've still got to turn the PA system on and everything."

"I can help." Clementine insisted and sat up. Next thing you know, she was being boosted up onto the roof, and heading into Carver's office to turn on the PA system. After she did that, they were meeting in the stockroom. Clementine was sure that they were getting out of here tonight, and nothing was going to stop them. Once she was inside Carver's office, she searched for the PA button, and as soon as she pressed it, loud music began to play outside. She knew she didn't have much time. "Alvin!" Clem yelled as she saw he was digging through Carver's desk, then pulled out a gun. "Come on, we're getting out of here." She said and tried to pull his arm.

"I ain't fit to move, kid." Alvin replied sadly. "You've got to get out of here, they'll be here any second." He told her.

"Thank you." Clementine said with a nod, then ran to get to the stockroom, where hopefully the rest of her group would be waiting for her.

"Tell Bec, that I love her, okay?" He said, and Clem nodded, and was on her way. When she arrived to the stockroom, Luke had Carver held at gunpoint.

"Clem?" Rebecca asked, "Where's Alvin?" She asked, and Clementine just couldn't answer her with words. The look in her eyes said enough, and Rebecca understood that he was dead.

"Rebecca?" Luke asked. "I am so sorry, oh god-"

"Kill him." She interrupted, referring to Carver. "I want to see his blood on the floor." She said bitterly. Suddenly, a gunshot was heard, and Kenny shot Bill in both of his legs. He then walked over and proceeded to get a crowbar. Clementine knew that Kenny was angry.

"Go on, and wait outside." Kenny ordered. Some of the group obliged, but a few stayed.

"Kenny please..." Sarita begged.

"I only need a minute."

"Come on Sarah..." Clementine said and grabbed her girlfriend's hand. "We don't need to watch this." Sarah followed behind Clem and the two girls went outside, leaving only Kenny, Rebecca, and Carver in the stockroom. Carver was rambling on and on about sheparding the flock, until Kenny finally beat him to a bloody pulp. His face wasn't even recognizable. Outside, Carlos was holding his hands over Sarah's ears so she wouldn't hear Carver's beating.

"All right." Kenny said once he and Rebecca came outside, "Let's get going." Luke then handed Clem a small axe, and she used it to cut open a walker. Once the group was covered in walker guts, they began to make their way through the hoard.

"Everybody just stay calm, and we'll get through this." Jane ordered. Everyone pretty much walked at their own pace, and Clementine followed behind Sarah. Things seemed to be going pretty well, until the rest of Carver's guards showed up on the roof, and began shooting the walkers.

"Shh... Quiet honey." Carlos said to his daughter. "Clementine, help me. Calm her down, just say something. You're her girlfriend." He ordered. Clementine was about to open up her mouth and speak, but then the unthinkable happened: Carlos was shot in the neck, then bit by a walker. Was this why Carlos came to Clem and asked her to protect Sarah long ago? Did he foresee that something like this was going to happen?

"Dad!" Sarah yelled, unable to control her sobs. Clem felt her heart sink to the bottom of her body, because honestly, in this situation, she didn't know what to do. "Dad... Get up! Come on dad..." Sarah sobbed. They were in danger now though, and walkers were closing in on them. "Daddy... No... Please..." You couldn't even understand what she was saying anymore.

"Sarah, run!" Clementine ordered, and the older girl obliged, taking off into the woods. Clem didn't know if they had suffered anymore casualties, she'd have to check and make sure once they got out of this mess. Just as she thought they were going to be okay, Sarita had been bit, and Clem didn't know what else to do, so she chopped her arm off with the small axe that Luke gave her. They had to get out of here, they had to get safe, they had to find Sarah.


	28. 28

"All right, is everybody here?" Kenny asked, once the group was finally out of the hoard. He looked around and saw Nick, Rebecca, Mike, Jane, Bonnie, and Luke carrying Sarita who was barely hanging on with her half of an arm. Would cutting off the limb even work? Or would she just die from blood loss?

"She's passed out..." Luke said and laid the foreign woman on the dirt ground. "I don't know what else to do.."

"Well don't just lay her on the fucking ground!" Kenny yelled. "We gotta get the hell outta here. We're not in the clear yet." He said, and he was right, if they waited here for too long the walkers would catch their scent and turn around. "Shouldn't there be some houses or some shit around here?" Kenny asked as he stood up to look around. They were surrounded by woods, so he wouldn't be able to see anything.

"I think there's some down over the hill there." Bonnie pointed. "But it's quite a walk."

"We've got to stop the bleeding, or she'll die and turn anyway." Jane made a point, and each second they wasted was precious time.

"Where's Carlos?" Nick asked. "He's the doctor, not us."

"We lost Carlos..." Clementine spoke up and heard a few gasps. "I told Sarah to run... I don't know where she is... Sarita probably isn't going to make it, we don't have any supplies... What are we going to do?" She asked, beginning to panic. After all, it was dark, they were in the middle of the woods, where in the hell were they going to go?

"Calm down Clem." Luke said, "We're gonna be fine." He tried to reassure the smaller girl, but she shook her head no. She knew better. She knew that if someone told her that things were going to be fine, they were sure as hell not going to be fine; they'd be the exact opposite of fine. "Let's just find those houses, get settled in... We'll take care of everything." He added, trying to help calm everyone's nerves.

"I'm not leaving until we find Sarah." Clementine deadpanned. "You all can leave without me."

"We're not leaving a little girl out in the woods." Nick argued.

"Oh...?" Clementine laughed bitterly. "But you didn't have any problem with leaving me alone in a shed." That was a low blow, and she knew it, but she couldn't help it at the moment. Tensions were running high, and they were wasting time... Sarah could be dead, and none of these people cared. Carlos would want them to look for his little girl. She wanted to scream at them, cuss at them, punch them even, and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She could not bear to lose another person she loved. Hell, she was so obsessed with Sarah missing, she hadn't even had the time to register Carlos' death.

"Now's not the time for hostility, Clem." Rebecca commented. "What happened to being a team?" She asked. "I know you're worried about Sarah, but we have more important things to worry about." Her voice was weary, and her eyes were a little swollen. Had she cried over Alvin? Would she grieve when she was alone? "Sarita needs help, and we have to help her first, then we can come back and look for Sarah." Bec tried to reason.

"I like that plan." Mike nodded, "We need to get the hell out of here before the walkers come back anyway."

That was when Clementine broke down; "She's probably scared to death..." She choked on her own sobs as she sunk to the ground on her knees. She hated herself right now: One, for breaking down in front of these people that she barely knew, and two, for breaking Carlos' promise, and not protecting Sarah. "Her dad just died... I'm not with her... She doesn't know where she is... It's the freaking zombie apocalypse." Hiccups and tears were pouring out of the smaller girl, and she was at a loss, she absolutely did not know what to do.

"Clementine..." Luke barely managed to get out.

"Don't you get it?" Clem almost yelled. "She's the only person left that knows me, and I mean really knows me! And now she's gone! I love her, and she might be dead..." Tears poured steadily out of her, and she just wanted more than anything to be back at the ski lodge, with Walter, with Matthew, with Lee... "Lee..." She whined out and let her body crumple to the ground. Everyone was silent at that moment, nobody really sure of what the right words would be to make Clem feel better. Sobs shook her small frame, until Nick scooped her up into his arms.

"We'll find her Clem, I promise. For you, and for Carlos." Nick said and wiped her tears away. "But first, we gotta take care of Sarita." Kenny then picked up the unconscious woman laying on the ground, and the group began walking down a pretty steep hill. What was left of the group sure hoped that there was some houses down there, or at least some kind of shelter. Clementine, she felt numb, and she hadn't cried that much in so long, she felt exhausted.

"Did she stop bleeding?" Rebecca asked as the group had walked for a while, referring to Sarita.

"Think so." Kenny said. "She's still breathing, so that's a good sign... I think..." He trailed off. "You gotta hang on Rita... For me? Okay? Okay." He said to here. The sun was just beginning to rise after the group had walked for who knows how long.

"Y'all see that?" Bonnie pointed up ahead. And they did see it; a very small cabin isolated around a bunch of low trees. It was hidden almost. They didn't know what it was about small cabins in the woods, but at this point, they didn't care. This was a blessing. "There's our shelter." She added with a grin.

"Hope they have supplies." Luke said. They made it inside, and it was clear of walkers. It was way smaller than the last cabin, only one floor, and only one bedroom, but hey, at least it was safe. "Oh thank god, Kenny, there's med stuff in the bathroom... Get Sarita's arm bandaged up." He ordered as the group made their way in and proceeded to board up all the doors and windows.

"Well, this has been fun..." Jane said, "But I've got to be on my way." She said as she was about to head out.

"You're leaving?" Nick asked.

"I'm more of a lone wolf." She said before leaving. Clementine stared out the only open window, thinking about Sarah as the rest of the group worked away. In her head though, she hoped that Sarita was okay, then she'd be a lifesaver... Maybe.


	29. 29

When Clementine awoke, she wasn't sure what time it was. All she knew was that she passed out from exhaustion, and someone had moved her to one of the loveseats in the cabin. Light snow was falling outside, and suddenly, the memories from the previous day came flooding back in. She felt guilty, and selfish, and she felt the need to apologize. Her eyes burned from crying so much. She sat up and stretched, feeling that familiar crack in her bones. "Oh you're up?" Mike said as Clem spotted him sitting in a reclining chair across the room reading some old magazine.

"Where's Sarita?" Clementine asked immediately.

"Bedroom."

"Is she...?" She asked, leaving the sentence hang, because if she was being honest with herself, she didn't want to know the answer. She could be dead, and it would be her fault for cutting off her arm... But she would have died anyway because she was bitten. Oh well, Clem had a bad habit of blaming everything on herself.

Mike shrugged, "Ain't none of my concern."

"Where are the others?" She asked.

"Kenny's with Sarita, and the rest of them went to look for your friend." Mike explained.

"They left without me?" Clementine exclaimed.

"Hey, you looked like you needed the rest."

"You look like you need rest..." Clem grumbled under her breath as she got up off the loveseat, that was when she noticed she had new clothes on, clean clothes, warmer clothes. How long had she been asleep? Bonnie probably changed her clothes while she was asleep, and there were probably extra clothes in the cabin somewhere. Her clean socks felt good on the hard floor as she walked to the only bedroom in the cabin. She stopped right in front of the door and held her breath before knocking. Her fist tapped on the door lightly. "Kenny?" She called out, hoping for an answer.

"You can come in." She heard Kenny say on the other side of the door. Clem was hesitant at first, but then pushed the door open, facing her fears.

"Is Sarita-"

"Hello Clementine." Sarita greeted. "You saved my life." She was laying in the bed, resting up with Kenny sitting beside her, and what was left of her arm was bandaged up and looked clean.

"You're okay!" Clementine said as she ran over to the bed to give Sarita a gentle hug. "When I cut your arm off... I didn't realize we didn't have any supplies... Oh, I'm just so glad you're alive." She rambled off and Kenny let out a small chuckle.

"All thanks to you kid." He added.

"How's your eye?" Clementine asked as she looked up at her old friend. Since all the chaos, she hadn't really gotten the chance to look at it, and now she saw the makeshift eye patch and everything that Carlos had fixed up for Kenny. "I'm sorry... Everybody keeps getting hurt because of me." Clementine said and hung her head low.

"Don't say that Clementine." Sarita argued. "I would have turned if it wasn't for you."

"I know..."

"I hope they find Sarah..." Sarita trailed off.

"Me too." Clem sighed. With that being said, the group members that stayed behind then heard the door to the cabin being opened. "That's probably them now!" She said and practically ran back out to the living room of the cabin. "Sarah I-" But stopped abruptly, realizing that Sarah wasn't there. "Where is she?" Clem asked looking up at the faces of Luke, Nick, Rebecca, and Bonnie... But they're expressions were enough to give away the answer. "No..." Clementine whispered backing away from them. "You didn't look hard enough!"

"We couldn't find her Clem." Nick said sadly.

"You promised!" She yelled, tears filling her eyes once more.

"We looked everywhere honey..." Bonnie replied as she bent down to Clementine's level. Clem backed away from the ginger girl, and ran to get her boots. She slipped them on her feet swiftly, and stood up, zipping up the new jacket she had on. "Clem, you can't go out there." Bonnie said. "It's freezing."

"Watch me." She retorted as she opened the door. "If I don't find her, I'm not coming back." She said in a shaky breath. She was begging herself not to cry, but the tears were threatening to fall every time she blinked her golden eyes.

"Clementine!" Luke yelled as she ran out the door.

"Don't come after me!" He heard her yell, and lost sight of the small girl as she disappeared into the foliage of the woods. Her adrenaline was pumping through her veins as she ran through the forest, breaths coming out in short pants as she hears her boots crunch on the freshly fallen snow. She had to find Sarah, and she wasn't going to stop looking until she found the teen girl. The sun was still high in the sky, so she had plenty of time to look.

"Where'd she go?" Kenny asked, coming out of the bedroom.

"Went to look for Sarah." Rebecca answered.

"Goddamnit." Kenny cursed.

"She said she wasn't coming back if she couldn't find her." Luke said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I heard."

"Shouldn't we go after her?" Bec asked.

"She said not to." Nick pointed out.

"For god's sake, she's only twelve, who's the adult here?" Rebecca nearly yelled.

"I trust her." Luke and Nick both said at the same time.

"She'll be back."

Clementine stopped for a few moments to take a short break, she didn't know how far from the cabin she went, but she knew she'd been walking for hours. The sun was setting, and it would be dark out soon. Her fingers were froze, and she couldn't help but to shiver. She had looked in so many places, she was beginning to lose hope; the only twinge of hope she had left. Maybe Sarah really was gone? But Clementine could have swore that she ran off in this direction. Clem was desperate... "Sarah!" She yelled as loud as she could, not really caring if she attracted walkers or not. She had to find that girl.

"Clemmy?"


	30. 30

Clementine's ears perked up at the sound she just had just heard. Could her sense of hearing be playing tricks on her? Or was this really happening? Her golden eyes scanned the area once more, and she looked to the area where she heard that soft sweet voice. Nothing. She saw nothing but the branches on the trees, and the snow falling down. Maybe she really has lost it. Maybe Sarah was already long gone from this world, but she didn't want to accept that yet. Clem's shoulders slumped, loosing hope once more. "Sarah?" She tried again, her voice normal this time. "Was that you, Sarah?" She received no answer as she practically spun around in circles, trying to find her girlfriend. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, "Sarah, if that was you, answer me! This isn't funny!"

"I-I'm up here!" Sarah said, and Clem's head whipped around so fast. She followed the voice and looked up, where she saw Sarah sitting in the top of a tree. A sigh of relief escaped Clementine, she wasn't dead, thank god, and she didn't look hurt either, double thanks. Clementine said nothing as she watched the teen girl climb down from the tree. "I'm so glad you found me Clemmy." Sarah breathed out as she pulled Clementine into her arms and squeezed tightly. "I knew you would." Her body was so cold, Clem noticed, and she had light bags under her eyes from not sleeping.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Clementine asked as she pulled away from the older girl, examining her.

"I scraped my knee when I climbed up the tree, but I'm okay." Sarah replied.

"Good." Clem smiled. "Let's go get you some warm clothes, and you'll be safe now. We found another cabin, the group is waiting for us." She said as she took Sarah's hand and they began walking. There was still so much that Sarah was trying to process, and Clem noticed she was being uncharacteristically quiet. There was little daylight left, so Clementine hoped they'd make it back in time before the sun set all the way. Clem didn't understand how the group didn't find Sarah when they went to look for her, unless they didn't go that far out into the woods.

"Clem?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't my dad come with you?" The older asked, and Clem stopped dead in her tracks. Didn't Sarah know? She was right there when it all happened. She witnessed her father's death, and now she was asking about it. Clementine thought she was acting a bit weird when she found her. Maybe she was having a hard time processing it, coping, or whatever it may be that she needed to do.

"Sarah... Your dad is dead." Clem said gently and squeezed Sarah's hand.

"Oh." Sarah trailed off. "So that really did happen?" She asked. "I thought I was dreaming."

"I'm sorry." Clementine looked up and their eyes met. "I know things are weird right now, but I promised your dad that I would keep you safe, and I'm going to Sarah." She said and they started to walk again. She wondered why Sarah wasn't physically upset. She knew mentally that Sarah was probably struggling right now, trying to find reason for all of this nonsense and pain... But why wasn't she crying? Or had she cried so much the previous day when she was alone that she didn't have any tears left? Clementine didn't say another word as they headed back to the new cabin. She'd leave Sarah with her mind in peace, and if Sarah needed conversation, she would offer it.

The cabin came in sight, and Sarah stopped, "So who's left then?" She asked, meaning who was still alive.

"Me, you, Luke, Nick, Kenny, Rebecca, Mike, Bonnie, and Sarita." Clem answered. "Jane left yesterday... And Alvin died at camp." She explained.

Sarah nodded, "Okay, let's go." She said and they continued walking. Clementine made her way through the door first, nervous about the feelings everyone was going to have towards her. After all, she told them she wasn't coming back, and she did go a little crazy on them. The remaining survivors were seated in the very tiny living room when she entered, some on the couches, some on the floor, some standing, but they were all surprised when she came in. And she must have looked a mess too because she was cold and wet, hell, her lips were probably some shade of purple.

"Clementine!" Kenny yelled.

"You're back!" Luke said. Sarah walked in behind the younger girl, and everyone was surprised at that as well. The first thing she did was run into Luke's arms. "Sorry about your dad kiddo." He said softly, and she nodded in condolence. Clementine then shut the door behind her, and kicked off her wet boots.

"Told you I'd find her." Clem said as she sat down and rubbed her hands together for warmth.

"Sorry for doubting you." Nick replied.

"Here honey," Bonnie said as she handed a bundle of clean clothes to Sarah. "These should fit you, and you're probably freezing. Go on in the bathroom and get changed." Sarah nodded, and padded off to the bathroom. She was being less talkative, and the group seemed to notice that.

"Is she okay?" Rebecca asked once the teen girl was out of hearing range. "Now that Carlos is gone, I know something's wrong with her." She added. "She's so quiet, and Sarah is never quiet."

"She won't talk about it." Clementine replied. "I think she just needs time to grieve on her own. Her whole world just got flipped upside down. She's probably so confused."

"Well, keep an eye on her Clem." Luke said. "Make sure she doesn't try to hurt herself or anything. Just be there for her, okay?" He asked and Clementine nodded, after all, she was going to do that anyway. The group then quieted down once they heard the bathroom door open. Sarah came walking out in a pair of sweatpants and matching hoodie. "You okay?" Luke asked her and she nodded once again.

"Can I take a nap?" Sarah asked.

"Uh yeah, kiddo..." Luke said and rubbed the back of his neck. "You and Clem can have the bedroom tonight." He gestured to the only bedroom in the cabin. Sarah nodded again, and headed into the bedroom silently. Clementine got up to join her, because she was feeling rather tired herself. She was glad that Sarah was safe, but now, Sarah was different. The two girls climbed into bed, Sarah was already shivering, so Clementine took it upon herself to wrap her arms around the older girl.

"I love you Clementine." Sarah whispered, and it wasn't long before the couple was asleep.


	31. 31

A few hours later, Clementine awoke to the sound of the rain, and to the sound of Sarah vomiting. Her breath was hot and heavy, coming out in pants, and sobs were getting stuck in her throat as she leaned over the bed and violently puked into a small bucket. She was crying so hard she was making herself wretch, and Clem's heart hurt. She had never seen the poor girl's anxiety this bad. "Sarah?" Clementine questioned, her eyebrows knitting together as she sat up quickly, grabbing the teen girl's arm. Sarah leaned back on the bed, hiccupping and sobbing even harder. Her anxiety was so bad that she was making herself sick.

"Clem... C-Clementine..." She barely managed to get out.

"Talk to me Sarah." Clementine pleaded.

"He's really gone, isn't he?" She wept. "Daddy isn't coming back..." Her tears streamed down her face out of her bloodshot eyes, soaking her shirt almost.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Clementine asked, trying to calm Sarah down. It broke her heart to see her girlfriend like this; helpless, afraid, crying so much that you can barely even talk... Sarah shook her head no, and took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down. She found herself crawling into Clem's embrace, and just laying there. Clementine knew she had anxiety, but she didn't know it was this bad. She had never seen this side of Sarah before. It was scary, like something out of a movie, but Clem didn't question it. If this was Sarah's way of coping, then she'd let it happen.

"I just can't stop thinking about him... I had a bad dream." Sarah trailed off, and Clementine knew exactly how she felt, because this is how she felt when her parents died, when Lee died, when Omid died... Pretty much everyone in her life who had died. "I just want to forget, but I can't right now... Everything is just so messed up."

"I know that this looks bad right now, but eventually everything is going to be okay. It gets easier." She whispered as she ran her hands through Sarah's dark hair. Clem was wise for her age; she had already experienced so much in her life that she didn't want to have to experience anymore. She didn't want to tell Sarah that after awhile you just become numb to people dying. You lose so much that it just becomes the norm. You get used to it. "You just can't lose hope, Sarah, you have to be a fighter."

"How can you say that?" Sarah asked, managing to wipe her tears away. "Even if all of this does get better, I can't do anything without my dad." She trailed.

"You'll get older." Clementine said, "And you still have other people that love you and care about you... Like me, Luke, Rebecca, and believe it or not, even Kenny cares about you. We'll help you." Her voice was soft as if she was afraid to disturb the moment. "You'll grieve, and you'll feel like crap, and then you'll be okay. It's normal."

"I kind of knew this was coming." Sarah shrugged. "And maybe if he would have taught me a few more things, I could have protected him like he protected me."

"You can't blame yourself, Sarah."

"I know... It's just... I feel like I can't breathe anymore. I know he's not there, and that thought is killing me." She explained and let out a sigh. "But if he's not here, I think he's in a better place. A place with no walkers, and wherever he is, he's with my mom." She smiled a bit.

"Yeah." Clem nodded. "And Lee."

"Thanks for listening, Clementine... I think I should go back to sleep now."

"Are you sure?" Clem asked.

Sarah nodded, "Oh, and will you teach me how to shoot tomorrow? Remember back at the camp, you said you would."

"Sure." Clem replied.

"Okay." Sarah smiled. "Goodnight Clem."

"Wake me up if you need me, okay?" Clem asked.

"I will." Sarah said as she turned over and closed her eyes, trying to fall back asleep, and Clementine did the same. But something was troubling her, and she knew it was about Sarah's well-being. With Carlos gone, would Sarah still be as innocent as before? Even after everything she's already been through and seen? Sarah was a sweet girl, and she was nice, she was one of those people who could tell the good from the bad, and Clem had a bad feeling that she wouldn't be like that anymore. Things were going to change, and change scared Clementine.

The next morning, Clementine woke up late, and found that the bed was empty. She had overslept again, and now she felt like crap. She rolled out of bed, letting her socks hit the hard floor, and made her way out into the living room of the cabin. "Good morning Clementine." Sarita greeted with a friendly wave. She was sitting on the couch with Sarah, and the two were snacking on a box of crackers that they probably found in the kitchen.

"Is it weird only having half of an arm?" Sarah asked as she looked down curiously.

"It is now, but I think I will get used to it." Sarita answered with a light smile.

"Where is everyone?" Clementine asked as she sat on the couch beside Sarah.

"They went looking for supplies." Sarita replied.

"Does it hurt?" Sarah asked, referring to Sarita's arm again.

"Not anymore." The foreign woman answered again. Clementine was glad that Sarah was talking again, maybe she took her words into consideration last night, and maybe the grieving process had already begun. "How are you, Clem?" She then asked, turning her attention to the younger girl.

"I'm okay." Clementine answered. "I'm just glad everyone is safe now."

"Me too." Sarah said with a small smile.

"Clementine saved me, did you know that Sarah?" Sarita asked. Sarah shook her head no, so Sarita told the story of Clementine cutting off her arm, and Sarah was fascinated with every single detail of it. A little part of Clementine still felt bad for doing it, but she saved Sarita's life, so she'd just have to deal with it.

"Does this place have any food?" Clementine asked once Sarita was done with the story.

Sarah shook her head, "That's why they went to look for supplies."

"Darn." Clementine said.

"Bonnie said that there were other houses around here, so they should find something." Sarah replied.

"I hope so." Clem commented. They then continued on with small chatter, talking pretty much just about anything, while waiting for the remaining group members to come back. Hopefully, they'd come back with food and supplies.


	32. 32

**A/N: I figured this should be the end of this story.**

* * *

The group came through the door about an hour later, carrying plenty boxes of food and supplies. Clementine smiled at the sight. It looked like some of their luck was turning around, well, at least for now. At least they had found something that would hold them out for awhile, and they wouldn't have to worry about starving out. They could make shelter for a long time at this cabin, and wouldn't have to leave for a very long time. "Look what we got!" Luke said as the group came into the cabin and shut the door.

"Jackpot!" Nick said as they sat down all the boxes. There was so much food.

"Looks like we'll be okay for awhile, huh?" Clementine asked.

"Hopefully." Luke answered. Deep down, Clementine knew that the group was probably tired of traveling. After all, that's all they practically did once Clem came to the group. It would be nice for them to just stay in one place for a while, not having to worry about walkers, or food, or their different enemies coming after them. Even though the cabin was a little small for their size of group, none of them really cared about that, all they cared about was being safe, and having a place to stay while snow was on the ground.

"Do you think we'll be staying here for awhile?" Sarah asked as Bonnie, Sarita, and Rebecca began putting the food away.

"I think so-" Luke tried to say.

"No, not really-" Kenny also answered.

Luke glared over at Kenny, "Since when did you start making decisions for this group?" He asked.

Kenny huffed, "Since I got my fucking eyeball knocked out for your mistakes, pretty boy!" He spat.

"Please, don't start fighting!" Clementine begged.

"Well, I think we should stay here." Luke retorted. "It's warm, we're safe, we have supplies..." He trailed off.

"Do you know how close we are to Wellington?" Kenny asked.

"Wellington?" Luke replied. "Who the hell said we were going to Wellington anyway?"

"I did, back at the lodge." Kenny said as a matter of fact. "Ain't that right, Clem?" He asked, trying to bring the smaller girl into the argument. She hated when Kenny fought with people, but he was just so damn stubborn that she didn't think he could help himself sometimes. "It's literally right around the corner, it would take us a day to get there!"

"Why risk it?" Nick jumped in. "We've already lost so many people, and we're safe here... So why even bother?"

"I agree with Nick." Sarita commented.

"Oh come on Rita!" Kenny nearly yelled. "Don't you see? We'll be safer in Wellington."

"We're safe now!" Sarita argued.

"Kenny, I'm not in any condition to go anywhere." Rebecca said. "The baby could come any day now." It was quiet for a moment, and Kenny knew that he was arguing on a side with himself, and he knew that he would probably lose.

"Maybe we should wait." Sarah suggested. "If things don't go well here, maybe then we can move to Wellington." She explained, and Clementine was proud of her for taking a part of a discussion and actually thinking things through. The group hadn't thought of that plan.

"I like that idea." Sarita said.

"Y'all really want to stay here, huh?" Kenny asked as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Kenny, we've just been through so much, we need a break." Rebecca said.

Kenny nodded, "I understand. After all, maybe I should wait until my eye is healed up too."

"Good call." Nick chimed in.

"So it's settled then?" Luke asked. "We stay here until we run out of supplies, then were head to Wellington?" He asked and he received chimes of the answer yes, and so it was agreed. The remaining survivors would stay here in this tiny cabin for a while, until all the supplies they found ran thin, then they would move to Wellington; which according to Kenny, wasn't too far away. But Clementine didn't care about any of that. She didn't care about where they stayed, or where they went. She would savor these moments that they had together, because deep down, both of them knew that time was a gift, and that you had to live in the moment, or regret it, because in the zombie apocalypse, tomorrow was never a guarantee. All Clementine cared about was being with Sarah, and keeping her safe.

"Are you ready, Clem?" Sarah asked, looking over at Clementine who seemed to be distracted by the group's arguing and what not.

Clementine nodded, "Uh, yeah. Just let me go get my gun." She went back to the bedroom where she and Sarah had slept the previous night, and grabbed her gun, and jacket. She was glad that Sarah was so eager to learn how to protect herself. And she was happy that she was going to be the one to teach her. Albeit, it should have been Carlos letting Sarah do the honors of shooting a gun, but he was gone, and Clementine was going to uphold her promise, no matter what. She then returned back to the living room of the new cabin where Sarah was slipping on her boots and jacket as well.

"Where are you two going?" Nick asked.

"Clem's teaching me how to protect myself." Sarah answered nonchalantly.

"Uh, Clem, are you sure that's a good idea?" Kenny inquired.

"Why wouldn't it be?" She retorted. "Sarah needs to know this stuff."

"Clementine is right." Mike chimed in. "We all need to have these skills, you know, just in case."

Kenny sighed, "Well, go on then."

"Come on Clem." Sarah said, opening the door.

"You girls don't go to far now, it's cold out." Luke said, and watched them exit. He then turned around to face the rest of the group who were still going about their business. "Sarah seems okay, don't you guys think?" He inquired.

Rebecca sighed, "I heard her crying last night."

"She'll probably be sad for a while." Sarita said. "I just hope Clementine knows the right way to deal with stuff like this."

* * *

**Author's Note: Um, so I was going to add more chapters to this rewrite, but I've pretty much covered everything in my other walking dead stories. Plus, I have a crap ton of other stories that I'm planning to write, including walking dead, so I hope you guys understand. Anyway, thanks for reading, reviewing and stuff, and be sure to check out my other stories, and feel free to send in requests. Bye!**


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